Chapter 42: Encirclement
“Encircled!?”
At Namgung Hu’s words, the Hall of the Emperor, which had fallen silent, instantly erupted into an uproar once more.
“What!?”
“Impossible! Encircled? That can’t possibly happen!”
Encircled.
By whom? The Namgung Family?
Not once since the Namgung Family had hung its family plaque had it ever been surrounded by another force. More importantly, if they had been encircled, it went without saying that the opposing force was hostile.
The elders’ and division commanders’ intense reactions were, in a way, only natural.
Fundamentally, there was not a single force in Anhui Province capable of standing against the Namgung Family. If there was one, it would only have been the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds, but they had an agreement with them. Besides, weren’t they a waterborne force incapable of invading by land?
Yet according to Namgung Hu, the land route, namely the Hefei direction had been surrounded.
Who in the world?
No, more importantly, was that even possible?
They simply could not believe it.
The expressions on every elder’s face conveyed exactly that.
Several of them voiced it aloud with agitation.
“What force in this Anhui Province could possibly encircle the Namgung Family? Does an organization with that kind of strength even exist? And to do so this secretly without the slightest omen? Utter nonsense.”
“This is even more absurd than saying Do Heo-ok is after the Family Head’s seat.”
“It makes no sense. None at all.”
Utterly preposterous.
Though each elder phrased it differently, they all insisted that the current situation defied all reason. Not a single person acknowledged the claim that they had been surrounded.
In the midst of it all, Namgung In suddenly tossed out a single word as if in passing.
“Heavenly Demon Castle.”
The timing was so perfect that everyone’s voices stopped at once.
“……”
Just one casual remark from Namgung In.
It was brief, yet that single phrase brought silence, shock, and astonishment upon the hall.
In truth, even while insisting earlier that Do Heo-ok be detained, Namgung In had already been considering Heavenly Demon Castle.
At the time, it had merely been a suspicion.
Now, it had become a certainty.
“It seems everyone has forgotten one of the most famous sayings in the Jianghu, so allow me to remind you.”
What if Do Heo-ok was a spy planted by Heavenly Demon Castle?
“The Demonic Cult is everywhere and nowhere.”
The reason he had insisted so strongly from the beginning that Do Heo-ok’s movements be restricted was because he feared this worst-case scenario might actually come to pass.
“Heavenly Demon Castle does not exist only in Xinjiang. We’ve all forgotten because of this long period of peace, but those who walk the Demonic Path exist throughout the world, as though present yet absent. Anhui Province is hardly an exception.”
At Namgung In’s calm explanation, the elders finally acknowledged the existence of Heavenly Demon Castle, the supreme power of the Demonic Path which they had overlooked until now.
“Heavenly Demon Castle…”
“Could that really be possible?”
“If that’s truly the case, then this is a grave crisis.”
The elders once again raised their voices.
At that moment.
Namgung Jung, who had quietly listened to Namgung In all this time, tilted his head slightly and spoke.
“But there’s something I don’t understand. Even if, as you say, the force surrounding the family is Heavenly Demon Castle.”
“What is it?”
“Even if Heavenly Demon Castle were to do something to the Namgung Family now, it would accomplish nothing. This place is extremely far from Xinjiang, whereas Henan Province, where the Murim Alliance’s main headquarters is located, lies right next to Anhui. Which means that even if they destroy the Namgung Family, they won’t be able to occupy this place. Not only that, but the demonic soldiers who destroy it would themselves be surrounded by the Murim Alliance.”
Lightly tapping his temple with his index finger, Namgung Jung continued explaining his reasoning.
“They may try to scatter and flee afterward, but by then the Murim Alliance will already have cast a heavenly net over Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Hubei. Even if they somehow survive breaking through that net, Xinjiang is still ten thousand li away. I see no route, nor any means, for them to return alive to Heavenly Demon Castle in Xinjiang. Worse still, this could lead to every hidden branch of Heavenly Demon Castle being completely wiped out by the Murim Alliance…”
Namgung Jung shook his head.
“When you look at it that way, isn’t Heavenly Demon Castle sacrificing far too much? I simply can’t understand it. Yet if it isn’t Heavenly Demon Castle, then there isn’t any other force capable of this either…”
“I believe Heavenly Demon Castle intends to use this attack on the Namgung Family as the starting point for a full-scale reentry into the Central Plains.”
“What do you mean?”
“According to rumors, there are quite a number of hardliners within Heavenly Demon Castle who wish to invade the Central Plains. They are bloodthirsty demonic practitioners who rarely obey even the Heavenly Demon Castle Lord’s control. Therefore, I believe the Heavenly Demon Castle Lord intends to seize this opportunity by deploying those difficult-to-control hardliners here to target the Namgung Family, the major sect located farthest from Xinjiang while simultaneously weakening the hardliner faction’s strength. Furthermore, once this place comes under attack, the Murim Alliance’s attention will inevitably be drawn here. Taking advantage of that, Heavenly Demon Castle’s main force may attempt to cross Qinghai and expand into Gansu. If that is indeed their plan, then wouldn’t the Heavenly Demon Castle Lord achieve no less than three benefits in a single stroke?”
“Hmm…”
“They would reduce the strength of the hardliner faction within Heavenly Demon Castle while also relieving the dissatisfaction that has built up during this long era of peace. At the same time, they could eliminate our Namgung Family, one of the Orthodox Faction’s core powers, and finally establish a foothold for another invasion of the Central Plains.”
“…That may well be.”
Though Namgung Jung still did not look completely convinced, based on everything they had learned so far, Namgung In’s explanation came closest to the truth, leaving him little choice but to accept it.
“Enough.”
Just as their discussion reached that point, Namgung Byeok raised a hand, drawing everyone’s attention back to himself.
“I would like to hear more from the Commander of the Vault of the Firmament Sword Division and the Commander of the Unhindered Sword Division, but no matter how I look at it, we no longer have the time. There are still far too many things left unconfirmed, but one fact is certain.”
Namgung Byeok paused briefly before sweeping his lowered gaze across everyone present.
Finally looking straight ahead, he spoke heavily.
“The Namgung Family has been encircled.”
It was a simple word—*encircled*—yet the weight it carried at that moment surpassed that of any lengthy declaration.
Namgung Byeok instinctively realized that the Namgung Family was facing its greatest crisis since hanging the plaque proclaiming itself the House of the Emperor.
Everyone gathered here were the true pillars who moved the Namgung Family.
They, too, understood from Namgung Byeok’s words that the time had finally come to draw their rusted iron swords once more.
*Flap—!*
Just as everyone standing within the Hall of the Emperor silently contemplated the meaning of that single word—
Just as when Namgung Hu had entered, the sound of violently fluttering robes echoed through the hall, and another figure appeared.
This time, it was Namgung Il, Commander of the Heavenly Wind Division, who had gone to search for the intruder.
The instant Namgung Byeok saw him, he urgently asked,
“Did you find him?”
He did not specify what he meant, but no one present needed to ask.
“I did not.”
Namgung Il lowered his head with a stricken expression.
“Not even the smallest trace?”
“…My apologies.”
His apology itself served as his answer.
“Have you searched every corner of the family estate?”
“We have not yet searched the Hall of the Emperor.”
That answer was only natural.
Who would ever think of infiltrating the Hall of the Emperor?
Even if someone managed to sneak into the Namgung Family, countless barriers still stood between them and this place. More importantly, how could anyone hope to deceive the eyes of the Namgung Family’s foremost experts stationed here?
Namgung Byeok silently fell into thought before slowly speaking.
“I understand. Go back out and search every inch of the estate once again. You are to find him at all costs.”
“Yes!”
With that acknowledgment, Namgung Il immediately departed from the Hall of the Emperor once more.
“Well then, the situation has returned to what it was before. The intruder has yet to be caught. Outside… *sigh*… beyond the family grounds, individuals believed to be demonic soldiers of Heavenly Demon Castle are surrounding the Namgung Family. Now then, I wish for everyone to speak freely about what we should do from this point onward.”
Namgung Byeok, the Family Head of the Namgung Family, had once again declared that the Namgung Family was surrounded.
In other words, he had proclaimed that the time to fight had come.
Namgung In was the first to step forward.
Without the slightest hesitation, he once again repeated the argument he had been making all along.
“This proves that every message left behind by the intruder is true. If Do Heo-ok truly intends to act as an insider on the day the moon becomes full—his wedding day—then nothing could be more dangerous. Furthermore, after our reconnaissance a short while ago, the enemies outside have undoubtedly realized that we are aware of their presence. Therefore, rather than waiting until the night of the full moon, there is a high possibility that they will attack the Namgung Family even sooner. For that reason, I believe our highest priority must be to detain Do Heo-ok. If, by any chance, he knows the formation core of the Three Emperors Nine Kings Formation, something irreversible may occur.”
The Three Emperors Nine Kings Formation.
It was the protective formation installed along the family’s outer walls against unforeseen emergencies.
Once activated, it completely isolated the Namgung Family from the outside world.
In return, however, the family would be perfectly protected.
On the other hand, if Do Heo-ok were somehow to destroy the formation’s core, they might not even be able to activate it at all.
That was precisely what Namgung In feared.
That was why he had repeatedly insisted that capturing Do Heo-ok must be their highest priority.
Namgung Byeok quietly looked at Namgung In before slowly sweeping his gaze across everyone else.
No one opposed Namgung In’s proposal anymore.
In the end, Namgung Byeok nodded.
“It seems no one objects, so that is what we shall do. Ah… Hye will be terribly disappointed. Haha…”
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