Among the four major families known as the pillars and heart of the righteous sect, the Nan Gong Family stands at the center as a renowned sword school.
When the Blood Demon caused chaos, it was none other than the then-head of the Nan Gong Family, Nan Gong Zhu Tian, who beheaded the Blood Demon.
Until the appearance of the Sword Venerable, a wandering swordsman, the Nan Gong Family had long held the position of the foremost swordsman in the Central Plains.
Nan Gong Jin, the current head of the Nan Gong Family and known as the Azure Heaven Sword King (蒼天劍王), looked at his son and said,
"Just because I asked you to take good care of your sister, you come back having lost your guard?"
He had sent him to the Tang Bing Zhan Hui with a light heart, only for him to challenge a younger prodigy to a duel.
Worse still, he had drawn his killing intent during the duel and was even defeated.
He then heard that he had suffered a broken arm as retaliation.
And it was his own son who had done this.
The most problematic thing was,
"Ma Tie…"
Among the countless martial artists of the family, few remained in the head's mind.
This was because there were too many talented and strong martial artists in the Nan Gong Family.
'This was a martial artist who had reached the peak.'
Ma Tie, a martial artist of the guard corps, known by the nickname Qing Feng Jue Jian (靑風絶劍).
He was someone in my memory.
There were not many who had reached the peak at his age, and he still had much potential for growth.
For such a martial artist to go missing during a simple guard duty?
Nan Gong Jin could not understand this.
"To lose a peak martial artist because of a prodigy whose name is not even known?"
Nan Gong Tian Jun could not say anything in response to Nan Gong Jin's question.
He just clenched his teeth silently.
It was a story he still could not understand even after telling it.
'What exactly happened?'
He thought it might have taken a few days for the situation to become unfavorable.
Even if he had spoken rashly, he knew it was difficult to bring a prodigy from a prestigious family.
But Ma Tie had volunteered, saying he would go and take care of it.
He had never seen Ma Tie fail after making such a statement.
That was why he had sent his sister without a word when she said she would go and greet the boy.
Initially, he thought the boy wouldn't come even if he went.
'It had to be done…'
But his sister came back saying she had greeted the boy well.
The boy had returned to his group, riding in a carriage.
Then what happened to Ma Tie?
What happened to his guard?
'Did the boy kill him?'
He thought it was impossible.
Ma Tie was a peak martial artist.
The path from first-class to peak for a martial artist is not a matter of effort but of talent.
No matter how many elixirs one consumes or how much one trains, without enlightenment, it is not easy to reach the realm of superhuman.
Nan Gong Tian Jun had learned this about the peak.
Ma Tie was a peak martial artist who had reached that realm.
And yet, he was defeated by a prodigy who had just barely reached second-class?
This was an impossible situation.
'Could it be a trap?'
A situation where the boy knew of his scheme and prepared in advance?
If so, how did the boy know, and what did he prepare that led to Ma Tie's disappearance?
Whatever it was, it was a bad situation.
Losing a peak martial artist of the Nan Gong Family due to his own coercion was a significant problem.
Moreover, the fact that Ouyang Tian knew about this was also a problem.
'That bastard.'
Thinking of Ouyang Tian made his blood boil.
The vital points he had been hit by the boy.
The broken arm that had now healed, but the anger he felt towards the boy remained.
"Chun Jun."
"…Yes, Father."
Nan Gong Jin approached Nan Gong Tian Jun with slow steps.
Nan Gong Tian Jun closed his eyes tightly.
His father never physically punished his children.
He just approached.
That was the most suffocating and difficult thing.