Chapter 41: When the moon is full, the emperor falls, and I, who move slowly, become king.
On the chair placed atop the dais at the very center of the Imperial King Hall, the family head, Namgung Byeok, sat naturally, and to his left and right, the squad leaders and elders who led the Imperial King Sword Squad, Vast Firmament Sword Squad, Flying Swallow Sword Squad, Boundless Sword Squad, and Flash Lightning Sword Squad stood in orderly lines.
Among those who were supposed to be present, the only ones missing were Namgung Il, the Heavenly Wind Squad leader who had brought this news first, and Namgung Hu, the Heavenly Thunder Unit leader.
The expressions of everyone gathered were uniformly grave, making it easy to guess just how serious the discussion taking place here was.
When the moon is full, the emperor falls, I slowly become king.
From early morning until now, every single conversation held here revolved entirely around these eight characters.
At first, there had been some disagreement regarding the interpretation of this phrase. However, now, there was no longer any opposition regarding its meaning.
When the moon is full, the emperor falls.
Without needing to think deeply, this phrase pointed to the downfall of the Namgung Family.
Since ancient times, the Namgung Family had called itself the House of the Imperial King. Here, the "emperor" referred to the Namgung Family itself, and "when the moon is full" clearly meant that the upcoming wedding would take place on the full moon.
From the beginning, there had been no room for debate on this point.
The difference in interpretation arose not from the first four characters carved in bone script, but from the latter four blood script characters written in blood.
I slowly become king.
As for who exactly this "I who slowly advances" referred to, there had been heated debate among those gathered here, but even on this point, a clear and unavoidable conclusion had eventually been reached.
The chaotic discussion currently taking place concerned how they should deal with the person identified as this "slowly advancing I."
"I've been saying this from earlier, but this is clearly a case of malicious slander!"
Namgung Jung, the squad leader of the Vast Firmament Sword Squad, looked around the assembly and spoke forcefully. He was the only elder of the Namgung Family who also held the position of a sword squad leader, and in terms of standing, he was nearly equal to Namgung Byeok. Naturally, his right to speak in a meeting like this was immense.
"Dosung has not even been in the family for a full year yet. That means he has no influence within the family whatsoever. Even after marrying young lady Hye, that won't change much. Surely everyone here understands that better than anyone else, do you not? To begin with, that young man Dosung is not even of the Namgung bloodline. So how, exactly, could someone like that possibly threaten the position of family head of the Namgung Family?"
The Dosung Namgung Jung referred to was the alias of Do Heo-ok.
His voice was filled with conviction, as though there could be no other possibility. As if to agree with his words, many of the elders nodded their heads.
"To doubt the man who is to become the family's son-in-law just because of some bizarre words carved from the blood and bones left behind by an intruder who slaughtered our warriors in a cruel manner? That would make us the laughingstock of the martial world. What could the future son-in-law of the Namgung Family possibly lack that he would scheme such a thing? I simply cannot understand why the entire Namgung Family is in such an uproar over the slander of a single vicious intruder."
However, Namgung In, the squad leader of the Boundless Sword Squad and a member of the relatively younger generation compared to the elders, held a different opinion from Namgung Jung and the others. As soon as Namgung Jung seemed to finish speaking, Namgung In immediately raised a rebuttal.
Although Namgung In ranked one tier below Namgung Jung and the elders, he was a prime candidate for the next family head of the Namgung Family, supported by the younger warriors. Thus, regardless of rank, he wielded considerable influence within the family.
"I do not agree with that opinion. While it is true that the intruder was cruel and trespassed upon the Namgung Family, I believe that the eight characters 'when the moon is full, the emperor falls, I slowly become king' that he left behind deserve careful attention."
"Look here, Boundless Sword Squad leader. 'Slowly advancing' is clearly a character dissection pointing to Do Heo-ok. Are you saying that such an obvious trick by the intruder is worth paying attention to?"
Namgung Jung immediately cut in.
Namgung In responded to him without hesitation.
"It is precisely because of that point that I believe we must pay even closer attention. The intruder went through great difficulty to 'secretly' infiltrate the Namgung Family, yet then 'brazenly' slaughtered the Heavenly Wind Squad warriors and carved eight characters whose meaning was far too obvious onto a ship. This suggests that his purpose was never simply to infiltrate the Namgung Family to kill someone or gather intelligence. And consider the three streaks of light he emitted as he left the ship — the very thing the family members are now calling the Three Sacred Lights. After finishing his task, he sent out an intense signal, as if inviting us to come and see what he had done, before vanishing like a ghost."
"So are you saying that we should arrest Do Heo-ok based on the unconfirmed slander of an intruder? The groom who is to marry the Namgung Family's daughter in just a few days? And if it turns out to be slander after all, what then? If this matter were to spread to the martial world, how would we deal with the consequences, and how could we ever face young lady Hye again?"
"Being humiliated before the world is a problem for later. Even if this is slander by the intruder, I believe we should first restrain Do Heo-ok. If, by any chance, the intruder's words are true, would that not be an even greater calamity?"
Namgung In paused briefly, swept his gaze across the assembly, and continued.
"To dismiss this as mere slander is difficult, given how bold the intruder's actions were and how exceptional his abilities must be. I apologize to the family head and the elders, but who here could reproduce the light seen at dawn? This is not a matter of whether one has learned the Sun Divine Art or not. Even if someone within the Namgung Family had mastered the Sun Divine Art, to possess enough internal energy to emit such intense light… I regret to say, I do not believe such a person is present here."
"That's a bit excessive—"
One of the elders bristled at Namgung In's seemingly arrogant words, but Namgung Byeok raised his hand and stopped him.
Namgung In's words were provocative and blunt, but they were also grounded in fact. Namgung Byeok understood this well, which was why he cut off the elder.
Namgung In lightly clasped his fists toward Namgung Byeok and continued presenting his opinion.
"We do not know how he created those beams of light, but since the ship remained intact, it is certain that they were not flashes caused by Thunderclap Bombs. That leaves the Sun Divine Art or a similar martial art as the only explanation. Such profound internal energy would be impossible unless one were among the ten great monsters and the five elders. If such a person had attacked the Imperial King Hall at dawn, I shudder to imagine what would have happened. And yet, instead of attacking the Imperial King Hall, he chose to leave behind those eight characters. Based on this, I believe we must prepare while leaving every possibility open."
"You're saying the intruder is one of the twenty supreme experts?"
Namgung Jung waited until Namgung In finished speaking before striking back. In his view, while Namgung In's argument was not entirely unreasonable, it contained a fatal flaw.
"Then why would such an extraordinary person fail to step forward openly and speak?"
"The twenty supreme experts do not consist solely of those from the orthodox path. That is likely the reason."
"Do you truly believe that makes sense? If he is not of the orthodox path, why would he help us? No, to begin with, the very act of secretly infiltrating the Namgung Family and killing our warriors is deception and an attack against us. How could that possibly be considered helping us? He is nothing more than a murderous demon who cruelly slaughtered our innocent warriors, and a despicable schemer."
"My point is—"
"That's enough."
Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming excessively heated, Namgung Byeok finally stepped in to mediate.
"Both of you are correct. As the Vast Firmament Sword Squad leader says, the intruder is certainly suspicious, and as the Boundless Sword Squad leader says, even the smallest possibility must not be ignored. That is precisely why the Heavenly Thunder Unit leader and the Heavenly Wind Squad leader are out investigating, is it not? Let us be patient and wait a little longer."
Namgung Byeok's words had an effect, and everyone fell into silence at once.
In truth, everyone gathered here was waiting for the Heavenly Wind Squad leader and the Heavenly Thunder Unit leader. They were the ones who had first brought news of the blood script and the Three Sacred Lights, and they were already absent from the meeting to secure evidence related to the incident.
At present, the Heavenly Wind Squad members were scattered throughout the family grounds, searching for the intruder who had created the blood script and the Three Sacred Lights. If the intruder were hiding within the family, no matter how skilled he was, it would be difficult to evade the eyes of the Heavenly Wind Squad.
Although the Namgung Family estate was vast, there were not many places to hide. No matter how exceptional one's concealment techniques might be, if the intruder were hiding within the Namgung Family, he would not be able to avoid the Heavenly Wind Squad's eyes. Everyone gathered here believed this.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Thunder Unit had set out toward Hefei to conduct reconnaissance in preparation for any contingency. If some faction were planning to move against the Namgung Family on the day of the full moon, there should be at least some sign of movement by now. The Heavenly Wind Squad had departed the estate at dawn to verify this in advance.
With Namgung Byeok's final words, the Imperial King Hall sank into heavy silence.
Regardless of whether Namgung Jung or Namgung In was correct, one fact was undeniable — someone had infiltrated the Namgung Family. No matter how one looked at it, it left an unsettling feeling.
How much time passed like that?
Pararararak!
The sharp sound of fluttering sleeves shattered the long silence of the Imperial King Hall. Someone had entered using Lightness Skill.
It was Namgung Hu.
"Hyung-nim!"
Perhaps flustered, Namgung Hu addressed Namgung Byeok as hyung-nim rather than family head, despite this being a formal setting.
Under normal circumstances, Namgung Byeok would have scolded him for such recklessness, but he realized that Namgung Hu had brought unsettling news, and merely spoke in a heavy tone.
"What happened?"
At Namgung Byeok's words, everyone's gaze focused on Namgung Hu's mouth. Namgung Hu was the Heavenly Thunder Unit leader, so the news he brought would not concern the intruder, but matters outside the Namgung Family, particularly the Hefei direction.
Judging from Namgung Hu's grim expression, everyone present could tell that the news was not good.
"Of the Heavenly Thunder Unit members who went out on reconnaissance, not a single one has returned to the family."
"Not a single one… returned?"
"Yes. They were scheduled to return within two hours, but not a single person came back."
Although Namgung Hu said they had not returned, Namgung Byeok understood without asking that it meant they could not return. It made no sense for the family's warriors to simply fail to return without reason.
For a martial artist sent on reconnaissance to not return was, in simpler terms, no different from saying he was dead.
"What do you think happened?"
He was not asking about the scouts themselves. Their deaths were already an established fact; he was asking why they had died.
"We… the Namgung Family…"
Namgung Hu hesitated briefly, then opened his mouth heavily.
"… seem to be surrounded."