Chapter 61: Wandering with the Righteous Sword (4)
A chivalrous hero whose valor knew no equal, he had proved that his sword had reached the realm of extremity through the famed Ten-Year Martial Arts Tournament Journey across the world.
Though his son, the Demon-Banishing Sword Wi Sanho, had made a name for himself as the greatest prodigy and greatest young hero of the current generation, in front of the name Righteous Hero Sword Wi Jeonghan, he was no more than a firefly before the sun.
No matter how prestigious Gui Nangnang was as the daughter of the Hao Clan Leader and Hall Leader of the Kaifeng Hall of the Hao Clan, she was not someone who could stand on equal footing with him. At the very least, it should be the Hao Clan Leader himself who came to receive him.
"It is an honor to have you visit us, Righteous Hero Sword."
Gui Nangnang bowed politely.
For now, she had to lower her stance.
Wi Jeonghan was a chivalrous hero filled with justice, but to those who went against that justice, he was more terrifying than any demon.
"Nice to meet you."
"What brings you to visit us?"
"Ah, that is, well..."
Wi Jeonghan hesitated, slightly flustered.
He had expected some sly-looking man to come out at the mention of the Hao Clan, so he could grab him by the collar and shout, "Where did you take my son?" But when a girl around his son's age appeared instead, he was at a loss for how to begin.
"It's just that..."
As Wi Jeonghan stumbled over his words, Han Sang-a, who had been glaring at him with sharp eyes from the side, stepped forward and pushed him aside.
"Move!"
"Ugh!"
Han Sang-a scolded Wi Jeonghan as if he were hopeless.
"We’re in a rush, so why are you stuttering like that?"
"No, Sang-a, that’s not what I—"
"Quiet!"
"Yes."
Han Sang-a snapped her head toward Gui Nangnang.
Gui Nangnang, who had been dumbfounded watching Wi Jeonghan — the famed Righteous Hero Sword — being treated like a neighborhood uncle, shrank a little when Han Sang-a’s gaze turned toward her and she slightly bowed her head.
Her experience and education hadn’t been for nothing — she quickly assessed who held the real power in the room.
"Are you the one in charge here?"
"Yes, that’s correct."
"It’s just... I came to find my son, the one who sent a letter from here."
Gui Nangnang let out a sigh. Fortunately, it was as she had expected.
"Are you referring to Young Master Wi Yeonho?"
"That’s right."
"If it’s Young Master Wi Yeonho, he has gone to the Sacred Hand Grounds. He should have arrived by now."
"Sacred Hand Grounds?"
"It’s a medical house in Hubei."
Han Sang-a furrowed her brows.
"Why a medical house?"
Gui Nangnang shook her head.
"That part, we are not certain of either. All we know is that Young Master Wi Yeonho headed toward the Sacred Hand Grounds in Hubei. Before that, he was at the Great Scholarly Institute."
"Great Scholarly Institute?"
"Yes, it’s an academy run by the Grand Historian Mun Yuhwan. He was staying there until recently."
"An academy? Yeonho went to an academy?"
Han Sang-a widened her eyes in disbelief. The Wi Yeonho she knew would rather die than go study at an academy.
"At any rate, he was there until recently, and now he’s gone to the Sacred Hand Grounds."
Han Sang-a nodded.
Whatever the circumstances, if that’s what they were told, there wasn’t much more to ask.
Then, Wi Jeonghan stepped forward and asked,
"How do you know that, young lady?"
"Excuse me?"
Wi Jeonghan’s gaze was low and serious.
"My son is naturally such a slacker that, even if he had a purpose, he wouldn’t reach out separately to someone like you. What I’m asking is how you knew that he stayed at the Great Scholarly Institute until recently, and now has headed to the Sacred Hand Grounds."
At that moment, a chill ran down Gui Nangnang’s spine.
Right now, Wi Jeonghan was asking whether she had been monitoring Wi Yeonho. The answer might be simple, but if it didn’t sit well with him, she had no idea what might happen next.
Gui Nangnang’s mind spun rapidly.
She had no idea how to respond. If Wi Jeonghan concluded she had a motive for keeping tabs on his son, she might not escape unscathed today.
To walk the path of chivalry was to say, in other words, that his sword had turned countless demons into wandering spirits. Among those called heroes, there was not one without a discerning heart.
"That is..."
"You’d best answer properly."
Wi Jeonghan’s pressure bore down on Gui Nangnang. It was so intense, it was hard to breathe.
Unlike the pressure she’d once felt from Wi Yeonho, this one weighed down on her heavily and powerfully.
Smack!
At that moment, a loud noise rang out, and Wi Jeonghan suddenly jumped in place.
"Argh!"
Han Sang-a had yanked his ear back hard.
"Sang-a! That hurts! I said it hurts!"
"You stay out of this. How many times do I have to tell you not to butt in?"
"No, that’s not what I meant!"
"Quiet!"
Wi Jeonghan wilted.
Han Sang-a looked at him with a face full of disdain and clicked her tongue.
"If a grown woman knows a grown man’s whereabouts, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Why are you interrogating her?"
"What?"
Gui Nangnang repeated reflexively.
Then Han Sang-a’s expression softened as she gently took Gui Nangnang’s hand.
"So, our Yeonho is in Hubei?"
"Ah, yes! That’s correct."
"Alright. Then could you tell us exactly where the Sacred Hand Grounds are in Hubei? We’re new to the area, and just hearing ‘Hubei’ doesn’t give us much to go on."
"Yes. It’s not too difficult to find. However..."
"Is there some problem?"
"We can’t be sure how long Young Master Wi Yeonho will stay at the Sacred Hand Grounds. He didn’t stay long at the Great Scholarly Institute either."
Han Sang-a tilted her head.
What difference would that make?
“If your luck is poor, Young Master Wi Yeonho may leave the Sacred Hand Grounds while you’re on your way. In that case, your journey there will have been in vain.”
Wi Jeonghan suddenly stepped forward.
“Then can’t we just ask at the Sacred Hand Grounds where he went?”
“That would be fortunate if possible. However, should Young Master Wi leave without disclosing his next destination... it won’t be easy to find him again in the vast region of Hubei.”
Having spent many years in the world of Jianghu, Wi Jeonghan understood the implication behind Gui Nangnang’s words.
“So, to find out exactly where my boy went, I’ll need the Hao Clan’s information network?”
“That’s not what I meant. The Grand House of Wi in Guangdong could surely track him down eventually. But we, the Hao Clan, may be able to help shorten that time—albeit slightly.”
“How, exactly?”
“If one of our informants accompanies you and tracks Young Master Wi Yeonho’s movements in real-time, you won’t risk going down the wrong path.”
Wi Jeonghan silently stared at Gui Nangnang.
“What’s the price?”
“There is none. We only ask that you remember the Hao Clan did its best to assist the Grand House of Wi in Guangdong.”
Wi Jeonghan smiled.
So she wouldn’t ask for money—only for a favor to be remembered. For someone of Wi Jeonghan’s stature, such a small debt could be worth hundreds of taels of gold.
‘Smart and quick to assess the situation. And to carry herself so steadily in front of me...’
Though her complexion betrayed some tension, the way she hid her trembling legs while extracting exactly what she wanted was to his liking.
“What’s your name?”
“Mosan-a. But the world calls me Gui Nangnang.”
“Mosan-a... If I recall correctly, the Clan Leader of the Hao Clan also bears that surname?”
“He’s my father.”
Wi Jeonghan nodded.
“It’s not the Hao Clan that pleases me—but you, young lady. I’ll consider this a personal favor from you. I will repay this debt in the future, so long as your request does not stray from the path of justice or righteousness.”
Gui Nangnang felt her strength drain from her limbs at his response.
He acknowledged the favor—but only to her, not to the Hao Clan. And any future favor must remain within the bounds of justice and morality.
They tried to plant a debt, but too many conditions came attached.
‘Still, considering who he is...’
It was none other than Righteous Hero Sword Wi Jeonghan who said it.
Even with the conditions, his words were as good as gold.
It was a substantial gain.
“Thank you for your grace, Master.”
“I’m the one receiving the favor here. Now then, who will guide us?”
At that moment, Han Sang-a clicked her tongue with a disapproving sound.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
As she clicked her tongue, Wi Jeonghan instinctively pulled his neck back slightly.
“What is it now?”
“Do you have no sense at all?”
“What sense now...”
“Ugh, how did I end up tied to a man like you?”
Wi Jeonghan shrank again, unable to grasp what was happening.
Han Sang-a paid him no mind and once more approached Gui Nangnang, gently grasping her hand.
“So, how old are you this year?”
“Excuse me? I’m twenty-six now.”
Han Sang-a furrowed her brows slightly, then beamed brightly as she continued.
“I see. And your parents? Are both still with you?”
“My father is well, but my mother passed away when I was a child.”
“You must’ve gone through a lot. That’s alright. In times like these, such things aren’t a flaw.”
Gui Nangnang broke out into a nervous sweat, her expression utterly flustered.
What on earth was going on?
“W-what are you doing?”
Even Wi Jeonghan, now flustered, tried to stop Han Sang-a. But the moment her eyes sharpened, he backed off and shut his eyes tightly.
“You look a bit frail—will you be able to travel all the way to Hubei?”
“Pardon?”
Gui Nangnang blinked, confused by the question, but Han Sang-a continued undeterred.
“It’s nice of you to offer to guide us, but it’s a long and demanding journey. I wonder if you can handle it.”
Just as she was about to cry out that it made no sense, Gui Nangnang stopped herself and began thinking.
The Grand House of Wi in Guangdong.
It wasn’t a household widely known to the public, but the fame of Righteous Hero Sword Wi Jeonghan and Demon-Banishing Sword Wi Sanho had already sent their name soaring.
‘And then there’s Wi Yeonho.’
Though he had a bizarre appearance, his martial prowess alone was real. Even if Wi Sanho was lauded as the greatest prodigy of the era, he would not compare to Wi Yeonho’s martial might.
If all went well, the Grand House of Wi in Guangdong could not only rise among the Five Great Clans of the world, but twenty years from now, people might even call it the Greatest Clan Under Heaven.
Forming ties with such a household could never be a loss. Gui Nangnang, whose calculations were always sharp, bloomed with a radiant smile across her face.
“Don’t worry, madam. I may not look it, but I’m quite sturdy. I’ll get ready right away, so please wait just a moment.”
Gui Nangnang bowed politely, then quickly stepped out of the room.
Wi Jeonghan, watching her with a mixture of awkwardness and worry, cautiously approached Han Sang-a, who wore a satisfied smile as she watched Gui Nangnang go.
“Sang-a, don’t you think that was a bit much? From what I could see, that young lady didn’t seem to have any particular feelings for Yeonho…”
Han Sang-a gave him a look full of disappointment.
“Do you really think Yeonho will ever get married?”
“…No.”
Wi Jeonghan answered honestly.
With Wi Yeonho living his whole life rolling around the house, the idea of him forming a relationship with a woman was out of the question. Even arranging a marriage by force felt wrong. Wouldn’t that be the same as turning someone else’s daughter into a young widow?
“It wasn’t something to worry about before, but now that Yeonho has come back, it’s time to start preparing. He’s of age, after all!”
“But that young lady…”
“If she has even a little fondness, we can work with that.”
Wi Jeonghan fell completely silent.
“If she doesn’t dislike him, then by seeing each other often, affection will grow. Traveling together as a family will build fondness too... There’s plenty of possibility. Her being a bit older is a minor flaw, but she’s smart and beautiful. That’s a fair trade. Considering how lazy and hopeless our boy is, only someone clever like her could handle him.”
Wi Jeonghan looked at Han Sang-a with trembling eyes.
Mothers really were formidable.
And a moment later, the completely unaware Gui Nangnang returned, luggage in hand, stepping through the door.
As the two women exchanged bright, cheerful smiles, Wi Jeonghan shut his eyes tightly.
Thinking about Yeonho, who would have to deal with both of them, made his chest feel heavy.
To a man, women were always a fearsome existence.