Chapter 20 :

Third-Rate Warrior Who Greets an Uninvited Guest (1)

Bang.

The table, made from Snowhorn Mountain ebony, famous for its hardness, shattered into pieces.

The deputy captain of the Secret Palace Unit, who had been reporting, trembled all over.

Since the table had been smashed, if things went wrong, the next thing to be smashed might be his own head.

“What does that mean?”

Namgung Sangwon’s low, growling voice stirred even more fear.

It was hard to tell whether he was expressing his anger or suppressing it.

The deputy captain’s words began to grow even faster.

“When the captain did not arrive at the appointed time, I led the unit members there…”

“They were dead?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Who was it? Who dared ruin the grand plan!”

What Namgung Sangwon held within him was ultimately rage.

When that rage exploded, killing intent poured out in every direction, reaching even the members of the Secret Palace Unit waiting outside the building, forcing them to swallow thickly.

“Th-That is…”

“Speak! Clearly!”

“I-It was one person.”

“One person? He faced twenty members of the Secret Palace Unit alone?”

“Th-That is correct.”

“So who was it?”

“That is…”

The deputy captain could not bring himself to speak.

They had been unable to find any trace of the opponent at all.

“We could not identify him.”

“You…”

“I-It is true. Judging by the shallow footprints and traces of surprise attacks, I can only cautiously guess that he may have been an assassin.”

“An assassin?”

As the deputy captain’s desperate desire to survive was carried by his mouth, words that normally would not come out flowed like a clear mountain stream.

“Y-Yes. According to the common traces, it seems they were mainly ambushed at first, and after his identity was discovered, he faced them head-on. W-We had also put out the fire to hide our identity, so… I think that may be why this happened.”

“An assassin…”

Did the deputy captain’s desperate plea work?

The anger faded from Namgung Sangwon’s face, and doubt lingered there instead.

Namgung Sangwon turned his head and asked his son, Namgung Songju.

“What do you think?”

“I have heard that assassins use indistinguishable techniques so as not to leave traces of themselves.”

“Then are you saying it really was an assassin?”

“There is something strange.”

“What is it?”

“The fact that he did not attack with ambushes from beginning to end, but only ambushed them at first, and later fought them head-on.”

“That is true.”

“Even if we searched the entire murim world, there are only a handful of assassins who could survive after facing the warriors of the Secret Palace Unit head-on. And there is even less reason for them to work for the Wang Family Estate.”

“That would be true.”

The very best assassins were existences that could not be bought with money.

Even if Wang Geumsan had hired an assassin for personal protection, it was absurd to say that an assassin of that level had faced the warriors of the Secret Palace Unit.

“What should we do?”

At the cautious words of the deputy captain, Namgung Sangwon spoke.

“You erased the traces, did you not?”

“Yes. We erased all traces from the moment the mission began.”

“Dispose of the bodies and erase all remaining traces as well.”

After the deputy captain left, silence settled over the inner room where only Namgung Sangwon and Songju remained.

Namgung Songju asked,

“Do you think the operation leaked?”

“That cannot be.”

“Then do you think it was a coincidence?”

“Hmm…”

From the beginning, they had controlled the very risk of the operation leaking outside.

They had split the mission into pieces and made them intertwine, so that even the people involved would only know what had happened after finishing their own tasks.

The only ones who originally knew the operation were Sangwon, Songju, the captain, and the deputy captain.

It was impossible for the operation itself to have leaked.

“How did he know?”

“We will catch him and ask.”

“Can we find him?”

“It is the Wang Family Estate. If he saved Wang Soso, would he not want to receive a suitable reward? Whether he saved her by coincidence or knew of the operation, we will see when the time comes.”

“I will have Wang Family Estate watched.”

“Do so.”

The grand plan of rebellion against heaven had gone awry.

They would have to make them pay the price properly.

#

One week after Wang Soso went missing.

The branch leader of the Murim Alliance’s Hefei branch was inwardly shocked by Wang Geumsan’s appearance after seeing him for the first time in a week.

He looked so haggard that it was hard to believe he was the same person.

His once generous flesh had grown gaunt, and his eyes were filled with blood vessels, making it hard to tell whether he had slept at all.

Wang Geumsan opened his desert-dry lips and spoke.

“Have you found any traces?”

At the scraping sound, hardly believable as a human voice, the branch leader came to his senses and spoke.

“We did find some, but… this is not certain… information…”

“Show me.”

“H-How about we supplement the information a little more and then report to you? Since the matter is so important…”

He did not know where the sparks from this incident would fly, but it was clear that no place receiving Wang Geumsan’s anger would remain unscathed.

“Give it to me.”

“Estate lord. I understand your urgency, but if you act rashly…”

“My daughter has an illness. It is a terrible illness that does not let her endure even three days outside Wangbu. But now a week has passed. There has been no contact from the culprits either. Must I show even more patience?”

Of course, he understood Wang Geumsan’s feelings well.

That was why he was even more reluctant to hand over his inadequate report.

Was it said that martial arts replaced technique?

Though the culprits did not seem to possess the skills of professionals, they were clearly experts.

Traces remained, but they could not identify who they were, and because they could not identify who they were, they could not even specify the culprits.

In his haste, he had merely brought a list of people evil enough to do such a thing and troublesome to the Murim Alliance’s Hefei branch.

This too was material he had hurriedly prepared with the advice of the Namgung Family, with whom they often interacted.

If he came empty-handed, a thunderbolt would clearly fall.

“Do you know how much sponsorship money I pay the Murim Alliance each year?”

“Ah! Of course, regarding the sponsorship money you provide for the peace of the murim world…”

“Is there any need for more long talk?”

The branch leader swallowed thickly.

How far would the aftermath of this report spread?

While he was pondering that, his hand ignored the command of his head and held out the report to Wang Geumsan.

“Gyeonsa Sect… Hyeolju Fort… Tanghyeon Sect? Is Tanghyeon Sect not a righteous sect?”

“That is why I told you it was still insufficient. We will supplement it further.”

“Enough. I have fully understood your abilities. From now on, Wangbu will act directly.”

So it was finally going to happen.

That was what the branch leader thought.

Could he truly take responsibility for this report?

While he was shaking his head to brush off his brief anxiety,

“Estate lord! Estate lord!”

Someone was calling Wang Geumsan at the top of his lungs.

And the owner of that voice opened the door and entered without even waiting for Wang Geumsan’s reply.

It was an unpleasant action that made not only the branch leader, the guest, but even Wang Geumsan, the owner, deeply furrow their brows.

However.

“The young lady has returned!”

“…What?”

It was not a situation to discuss manners.

Thud.

The report the branch leader had painstakingly written dropped to the floor.

#

The mountain took off winter and welcomed spring, and the cold wind of midwinter had changed at some point into a warm spring breeze.

In the forest, new shoots were rising between dry leaves, and the sunlight, carrying warm energy, was melting the ice that had frozen throughout winter.

Wang Soso was feeling spring like that.

“So this is… spring.”

“Is this your first time feeling the seasons?”

“My room was always frozen solid like midwinter. The summer flowers and autumn fallen leaves outside the window did not feel real, like a painting.”

Her life, which had been like that, had now changed into the life of other ordinary people.

Even when she walked on her own, received sunlight, sweated, and overworked her muscles until she grew tired, the solar energy quietly vanished as if sleeping.

“Still, do not overdo it. The medicinal effects have only just risen, so it will take some time for your energy to be stably contained.”

“How can I ever repay this grace…”

“Has your father not always bestowed much merit upon people? Think of it as thanks to that.”

Wang Soso’s eyes, as she looked at Jin Sowoon, were filled with emotion.

It was already impressive that he had not simply passed by after seeing injustice, but rather than praising his own achievements, he raised up the other person’s merit.

Though there did not seem to be much of an age gap between them, he seemed mature, his abilities seemed amazing, his consideration seemed broad, and his appearance too…

“Ahem.”

“Are you all right?”

“…”

“Was walking too much for you after all?”

“That is not it. Um…”

Could she say something like this?

For Wang Soso, dealing with a boy around her own age for the first time in her life was no easy matter.

“Please speak.”

“That is… could I perhaps call you… Orabeoni?”

Wang Soso’s voice grew smaller and smaller, and in the end, it was so quiet that Jin Sowoon had to bring his ear close to hear it.

“Haha, if that is more comfortable, then call me that.”

“…Then please call me Soso. I would also like it if you spoke comfortably to me.”

“All right, Soso.”

For a moment, Wang Soso thought Jin Sowoon’s hand was about to stroke her head, and her heart began to pound rapidly.

“Ah, sorry. This has become a habit. Women dislike this kind of thing, right?”

At Jin Sowoon’s action of flinching and pulling his hand away, Wang Soso moved her lips with regret.

“Ah… I-I think I would be fine with it. I have not experienced it before.”

“All right. I understand, so let us go down now. Your father must be waiting.”

On the way back to the Wang Family Estate,

Jin Sowoon told Wang Soso about many things in the world that she had not yet experienced.

He told her that if she went to the market, there were snacks children could eat; in summer, one could float a boat on a lake and play; and in autumn, the mountains were more colorful than anything else and good for taking walks.

He told her about things Wang Soso had almost never been able to experience, and things she could now fully experience in the future.

“Orabeoni, I want to eat that candied fruit from the market. Could you go with me?”

“Let’s do that.”

“Orabeoni, I also want to go boating on that lake. Could you do it with me?”

“Let’s do that too.”

“Orabeoni, I also want to try climbing an autumn mountain. Could you climb with me?”

“To climb a mountain, you must train hard. Will you be all right with that?”

“I learned the Taeul Heart Method too. From now on, I am a disciple of the Taeul Sect, so I can go there to train.”

“Then you will become my junior sister? Try speaking well to your father about it.”

In return, Wang Soso explained things about her own world to Jin Sowoon.

“Once every three years, the people in charge of the branches and shops across the country gather in Wangbu and hold a festival. Food comes out endlessly, and the music never stops halfway.”

“That must be truly wonderful.”

“Father will probably hold a grand feast for you, Orabeoni. If he does not, I will pester him into holding one for you.”

“Do not trouble your father.”

“He will probably bestow a large reward too. He cherishes me very much.”

“Soso must quickly become healthy and show him much filial piety.”

“Our house also has many treasures. I think there may be something that suits you, Orabeoni.”

“It must have been truly nice to see so many treasures.”

Wang Soso talked with great excitement.

It was the first time she had learned that she was such a talkative person.

Even though she had spent the entire day walking and talking, she did not feel bored at all.

Was this because her illness had been cured, or was there another reason?

The still-young Wang Soso did not know the reason well.

“…Orabeoni?”

Wang Soso looked at Jin Sowoon, who had taken a step back.

“You can go alone from here, right?”

“Pardon?! What do you mean… You have to come with me!”

Wang Soso felt as if her heart dropped.

“As you know, because of your disappearance, the entire Hefei area has been thrown into chaos. If I go with you at a time like this, there may be room for misunderstandings.”

“No! What are you saying? Orabeoni! That will absolutely never happen. Please let me repay you.”

At that moment, Jin Sowoon took a large step closer.

Then, with that rough hand, he stroked her head.

Wang Soso was so flustered that she only stared wide-eyed and moved her mouth like a goldfish.

“Gaining a new junior sister is already more than enough payment. So do not worry.”

“B-But…”

“Did you not say you would enter the Taeul Sect? Then we will be able to see each other often now. So do not worry.”

“Orabeoni…”

After saying that, Jin Sowoon turned around and walked away with dignity.

Wang Soso blankly stared at Jin Sowoon’s back for a long while.

And then.

“Y-Young lady!”

“Young Lady Wang Soso!”

The people of Wangbu began recognizing Wang Soso one by one.

#

I was tempted by the reward money and treasures, but I could not blindly follow Wang Soso inside.

If I entered and said I had saved her, they would begin questioning me about the incident in detail, and before I even received reward money or treasure, I might be investigated as a kidnapper or an accomplice.

Moreover, even the Murim Alliance’s Hefei branch had stepped forward, yet I had done what they could not.

Would those greedy people really stay still?

“Still, I achieved my intended goal.”

I never imagined Wang Soso would be suffering because of her constitution.

Thanks to that, she learned the Taeul Heart Method and even said with her own mouth that she wanted to enter the Taeul Sect.

I wondered whether Wang Geumsan would allow it, but in any case, I had saved his daughter and even fixed her constitution. So I had high hopes that he would provide sponsorship funds large enough that we would not miss the Gyeryong Merchant Guild.

If Wang Geumsan helped to some extent, the Taeul Sect would no longer have any reason to yield to Gye Cheolyeong in this Martial Academy rolling admission.

“In that case, Saryeon will enter the Martial Academy, and I should give the entrance pass to someone else.”

Whether it was special recruitment into the Martial Academy or admission through the entrance pass, there were easy paths, but if I entered alone, I would merely be a lonely island in the middle of the sea.

In the coming war, I needed people like my hands and feet who could move according to my will.

If they did not complete the academy with me, it would be meaningless.

The Taeul Sect was at the very bottom among the One Hundred Eight Peaks.

Even if I tried to create some kind of force, it would not even form, like snow that would not clump together.

In addition, there was another reason I had to take the exam.

“There are also many elixirs that appear during the academy exam.”

The reason the Martial Academy’s exam was called the Hell Official Exam was because the academy itself further inflamed the heat of the exam.

One of those things was the elixirs prepared by the academy.

Once those elixirs began to be discovered, the number of people who died rose dramatically.

“Before entering the academy, I need to have more than sixty years of internal energy.”

There were roughly eight months until winter, when the exam would begin.

I needed to increase my internal energy further and think about what to do with my martial arts.

“Relying on the Small Heaven Sword Art every single day has its limits.”

As my internal energy rose dramatically, the most frustrating part was that there was a limit to how much internal energy the Small Heaven Sword Art could contain.

With the sword-breaking form, I could break down the martial arts of the Murim Alliance’s major sects, but if they used martial arts outside of those, I would also have to fight with my own true skill.

And to fight such battles, the Small Heaven Sword Art had far too clear a limit.

“But my internal energy is still too little to use the Mad Heaven Divine Palm…”

The martial arts secret manual I had obtained along with the Snow Plum Pill.

Surprisingly, the secret manual belonged to the Mad Heaven Divine Lord, one of the Ten Venerables of the murim world three hundred years ago.

Since he had reached the realm of an absolute expert with only a single martial art, I was extremely glad to have his secret manual, but there was a problem.

If I fired the Mad Heaven Divine Palm once, my internal energy would be completely depleted, and I would faint.

“According to the busybodies, the Mad Heaven Divine Lord could use this Mad Heaven Divine Palm more than five times in a row. So his true specialty was clearly not palm arts but internal energy.”

In the end, it still remained no different from a necklace on a pig’s neck.

“Ultimately, I will have to look for that.”

The deepest part of the library.

A book I had hidden in the deepest part of the library in my head because I could not trust myself.

“What are you standing there blankly for?”

“Hm? Little Sister Ryeon?”

Saryeon had puffed her cheeks full of air and was shooting a sharp gaze at me.

“I told you not to call me Little Sister Ryeon, didn’t I? Where have you been wandering around so much?”

“It is all because I have been working day and night for my sect, the Taeul Sect…”

“Enough. Hurry inside. A guest is waiting.”

“A guest? They already came from the Wang Family Estate?”

“The Wang Family Estate? What are you talking about? They came from the Namgung Family.”

“Hm? …The Namgung Family?”

“Do you know something, Senior Brother?”

Had Namgung Sangwon already found out and come here?

My heart sank.