As the two of them stepped out of the main gate of the Namgung Clan, the massive walls of the estate receded behind them. The shadow of the Clan Leader, Namgung Un, who stood at the gate watching them, grew smaller and smaller until it finally vanished from sight completely.

Namgung Un did not burden them with excessive requests or try to hold them back by force. He simply watched their departing figures, seeing off the child of the friend he had lost 15 years ago as they set out on their journey.

In this moment, he was not the Hegemon of Anhui or the Leader of the Namgung Clan, but merely a father worried about the future of the two young martial artists he had personally poured his affection into.

His lips twitched slightly. However, there was no way the two, who had just taken their first steps into the Murim, would notice such a minute change behind their backs.

Several days have passed since they left the clan. Once they crossed the borders of Anhui, even the air felt different. Unlike the always neatly arranged inner courtyard of the clan, the wind of the Jianghu was mixed with raw dust and the scent of sweat from strangers.

Hajin habitually adjusted the collar of the blue robe he was wearing. At the point of leaving Anhui, that robe, which was the very symbol of the Namgung Clan, was merely a burden difficult for a newcomer to the Jianghu to handle. He stopped for a moment and turned his steps toward a shabby inn nearby.

In a corner of the inn, he quickly changed out of the flamboyant blue robe and into dark navy cloud-patterned silk martial attire before sitting back down. The black fabric, which had a subtle luster, wrapped around his long limbs.

Though it lacked any flashy embroidery, the elegance emanating from the way he closed his collar and tightened his sword belt was something that could never be hidden. He looked like a sharp blade wrapped in silk. Would he pass for an anonymous swordsman now? Clearing his thoughts, he sat down across from Guest.

Two bowls of somyeon and one order of fish-flavored shredded pork. And a bottle of Bamboo Leaf Green liquor.

After handing some silver to the waiter, he used his blue Mind's Eye to trace the energies of the surroundings one by one. Amidst his sharpened senses, the letter his father had handed him added a heavy weight to his chest. The last trace left by the Greatest Under Heaven—it was the beginning of the journey the two of them had to walk.

Only after confirming the surroundings were safe did he quietly slide Namgung Un's letter across the table to Guest. This paper was not meant for him.

You open it yourself. It's a clue related to the Sword Sovereign.*