Chapter 107
Rustle-.
Dongryong and I activated our Lightness Skill and ran day and night, and it wasn’t long before…
“Leader, I see a City far off in the distance.”
“Yeah, I don’t know for sure since it’s my first time, but that must be Anhui.”
…we were able to reach Anhui, where the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was being held.
Anhui.
It was the home Base of the Namgung Family and the location of the Murim Alliance Headquarters.
It was the center of the Jiangnan Murim and an economic City where all the goods gathered Under Heaven.
It was my first time coming to Anhui in person. The same went for Dongryong-i.
After arriving in Anhui, we looked around in awe.
“Wow, there are so many people.”
“Tell me about it. I expected as much, but there might be even more people here than in Sichuan.”
Although the entertainment industry didn’t seem as developed as in Sichuan, the streets of Anhui were filled with passersby and Merchants selling goods.
If Sichuan felt like the epitome of the Underworld, Anhui was the epitome of the sunlit World.
Perhaps because the Namgung Family was here and it was the center of the Murim World, every passing person exuded a healthy and strong energy.
As we were looking around the Street for a moment, Dongryong-i asked me.
“But, Leader, we made it to Anhui, but where do we go now?”
“That’s a good question…”
Since Jongrimun is an Affiliated Family of the Zhongnan Sect, should we try looking for martial artists from the Zhongnan Sect?
For now, we decided to head toward the Murim Alliance Headquarters where the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was being held.
“Anyway, Leader. Thinking about going to the Murim Alliance Headquarters as a Bandit makes me feel a bit weird…”
“…Me too.”
This is really…
It felt like a thief strolling through the market with stolen goods.
Or perhaps like a demon cultist openly parading through the Murim Alliance Headquarters.
Anyway, even though we hadn’t committed any crimes at that moment, the thought of going to the Murim Alliance Headquarters, the center of the Righteous Faction, made me a little nervous.
“Still, we are martial artists of Jongrimun right now, so don’t be too nervous…, ah…!”
I opened my mouth to reassure Dongryong-i, but I was appalled when I saw his physical state.
“Hey, you rascal! Hide your energy! Are you trying to announce to the whole neighborhood that you’re an Unorthodox Faction member?”
Dongryong-i had learned the Unorthodox Faction-style Internal Cultivation Method I taught him.
Thanks to that, an incredibly rough energy overflowed from Dongryong-i’s body. It was completely different from the pure and noble energy of a Righteous Martial Artist, so if anyone paid close attention, they would immediately notice that we were Unorthodox Faction members.
“Has this Bastard lost his mind! Snap out of it!”
Smack.
When I smacked Dongryong-i’s back and yelled, Dongryong-i spoke as if he felt wronged.
“Huh? Leader, what do you mean to hide my energy?”
“The energy flowing from your body obviously belongs to the Unorthodox Faction right now. So conceal your original energy properly and make it flow with clear energy like the Righteous Faction…, What? Do you not know how?”
When I asked just in case, Dongryong-i nodded.
“…Yeah. I don’t know how.”
“Ah, damn it… Hey, give me your back.”
In a hurry, we went to a deserted corner, and I personally concealed Dongryong-i’s energy.
Once the energy flowing from Dongryong-i’s body reached the point where it could be mistaken for not being of the Unorthodox Faction, I took my hands off and told Dongryong-i.
“For now, try to maintain your energy like I just did for you. Can you do it?”
“Yes, I think it’s possible.”
“If this state happens to unravel, circulate the energy you built up when you were in the Hebei Peng Family. The Peng Family’s energy is rough, but it belongs to the Righteous Faction, so it won’t look Strange.”
“Yep.”
Since he answered confidently, it didn’t seem like Dongryong-i would cause another headache over this issue.
Relieved, I nodded.
“Then let’s get going…”
That was when it happened.
Grab.
“…!”
I had been so focused on taking care of Dongryong-i that I hadn’t been keeping an eye on our surroundings.
I felt an unfamiliar sensation on my shoulder, and I immediately…
Crack.
“Aaaagh-!”
I twisted the guy’s wrist and gathered energy in my other hand.
If I determined the guy behind me was an enemy, I planned to unleash a Palm Art right away.
However…
“Aaaagh-! Why are you doing this? Aren’t you Lay Disciples of the Zhongnan Sect?”
“…?”
Aside from bewilderment, I didn’t feel any hostility in the stranger’s voice.
So I loosened my grip and slowly examined his appearance…
“Why didn’t you two come straight to Zhongnan’s Lodging… Looking at your crest…, you seem to be from Jongrimun…”
“Ah.”
…The Zhongnan Sect’s crest was drawn on his blue martial uniform.
Having grasped the situation, I immediately bowed my head and performed a Cupped Fist Salute.
“Oh my~ I failed to recognize a Disciple from the Main Headquarters and committed a discourtesy. I am truly sorry.”
“…I’m sorry.”
When I gave him a look, Dongryong-i also quickly grasped the situation and performed a Cupped Fist Salute. As expected, perhaps because Dongryong-i had once been part of the Hebei Peng Family, his Stance for the Cupped Fist Salute was perfect.
When we performed a proper Cupped Fist Salute, the Zhongnan Sect Disciple briefly shook out his twisted hand and returned the Cupped Fist Salute.
“I am Geum Sa-Hwi, serving as the Second Generation Grand Disciple of the Zhongnan Sect.”
“We are Mu-Yeong and Dong-Bong of Jongrimun.”
“…”
Since it would be awkward to use our real names, I used Improvisation and answered with the aliases Mu-Yeong and Dong-Bong.
Dongryong-i didn’t seem to like the name Dong-Bong, but it couldn’t be helped.
After we finished our introductions, Geum Sa-Hwi, the Second Generation Grand Disciple of the Zhongnan Sect, asked me with a questioning look.
“Since Jongrimun is located the furthest among the Affiliated Families of the Zhongnan Sect, I thought you would be a bit later, but you arrived earlier than expected. But why didn’t you come straight to Zhongnan’s Lodging?”
“…Ahaha, we were just looking around the streets of Anhui for a bit.”
We couldn’t go because we didn’t know where it was, you Bastard.
More importantly, what a stroke of incredible luck. We almost wandered around Anhui City all day without even knowing there was a Lodging. But to meet a Zhongnan Sect Disciple like this…
“But we’ve finished looking around now and are just about to head back.”
“Is that so? In that case, I was just about to return, so let’s go together.”
This earnest Taoist Priest even kindly offered to guide us to the Lodging.
“Shall we do that, then?”
Cheering inwardly, Dongryong-i and I followed behind him.
* * *
While moving to Zhongnan’s Lodging, I talked with Geum Sa-Hwi and was able to recall who he was.
This man named Geum Sa-Hwi. He appears in the Original Novel too.
You could call him the Original Protagonist’s early rival. If the Promising Talent of the Mount Hua Sect was the Protagonist, the Promising Talent of the Zhongnan Sect was this guy.
Since the two represented their respective Sects, they were compared a lot, and naturally, Geum Sa-Hwi fell far short of the Protagonist and harbored an inferiority complex, or something like that.
“He was somewhat of a villain in the novel, but…”
Talking to him in person, I didn’t get an Evil vibe from him at all; he was just an Ordinary young Taoist Priest.
“Master Mu-Yeong, your skills seem to be quite substantial. Your reaction speed, your Internal Strength…”
“Haha…, even so, how could Lay Disciples like us compare to Direct Disciples?”
“Don’t say that. Lay Disciples are all equal Disciples of the Zhongnan Sect. If Master Mu-Yeong puts on a good showing at this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, wouldn’t that be a great blessing for both Jongrimun and the Zhongnan Sect?”
I could feel Geum Sa-Hwi’s pride in the Zhongnan Sect as he spoke. It felt like he genuinely loved the Sect known as Zhongnan.
“We’re here. That place over there is our Zhongnan’s Lodging.”
“Oh, so that’s…”
Walking and talking like that, we quickly reached Zhongnan’s Lodging.
It was a bit far from the Murim Alliance Headquarters, but it was a quiet, pure, and subtly elegant building.
Slide-.
The interior was also modest, giving off the exact feeling of a place where a Taoist Priest would live.
“Ah, most of the disciples have gone to do their Training in preparation for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering right now, so you can meet them later. How about paying your respects to the Sect Leader first?”
“Ah, the Sect Leader…”
Hearing the word Sect Leader, I flinched for a moment.
It made sense, as the Sect Leader would be the eldest elder and the greatest Master of the Sect.
If our identities were to be discovered, the chances of being caught by him were the highest.
When I hesitated for a moment to answer, Geum Sa-Hwi asked as if it were Strange.
“…? Is there a problem?”
“Ah, no. Not at all.”
However, even as an Affiliated Family, not paying respects to the Sect Leader as a Disciple would be a violation of etiquette. In the end, if I wanted to pretend to be a Disciple of Jongrimun, the Zhongnan Sect Leader was a mountain I had to cross eventually.
It’s better to get the beating over with first. I nodded willingly.
“Let’s go right now.”
“Yes.”
Step-, Step-.
Surprisingly, the Sect Leader’s room seemed to be on the first floor, as Geum Sa-Hwi stopped walking not long after the entrance. Then, he carefully announced himself.
“Sect Leader. The disciples of Jongrimun have come to visit. May we enter?”
“Come in.”
A warm voice was heard from inside the room.
At that, the door opened, and as we stepped inside…
“Ah, are you the disciples of Jongrimun? Come in, come in.”
…A white-haired grandfather who looked like a good person welcomed us.
“Hmm…, so This Old Man is…”
A sharp light flowed from the old man in front of me, and I could feel the refreshing Aura unique to a Taoist.
He was definitely the Zhongnan Sect Leader.
Dongryong-i and I immediately bowed our heads and greeted him.
“We pay our respects to the Sect Leader. I am Mu-Yeong of Jongrimun.”
“…I am Dong-Bong.”
“Yes, thank you for coming all this way. If you aren’t busy, how about a cup of tea?”
“Tea?”
The longer we talked, the greater the risk of our identities being discovered, but since I had no justification To Refuse, I nodded.
“Yes, let’s do that.”
“Ah, Sect Leader, I have some things to do.”
“All right, Sa-Hwi, you may leave now.”
Geum Sa-Hwi left, and only the Zhongnan Sect Leader, Dongryong-i, and I remained in the room.
We took our seats, and as leaf tea with a subtle fragrance was poured, the Zhongnan Sect Leader offered a casual greeting.
The problem was…
“Right, I heard the news that the Jongrimun Leader was bedridden with an illness, but I was so busy I couldn’t even visit once. Is the Jongrimun Leader’s health all right now?”
…that we didn’t know how the Jongrimun Leader was doing.
“…”
When the Sect Leader asked about Jongrimun, I felt Dongryong-i’s body stiffen.
Right, one wrong word here could blow our cover, so of course he’d be nervous.
But I wasn’t.
Who was I?
Running away from home for the first time at the age of 9, during my days as an absolute Beggar with nothing to my name, I saved This Life using nothing but my wits and bullshit.
Fooling one old man was nothing to me.
I gave the Zhongnan Sect Leader a polite smile and answered.
“Yes, they are fine now.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief. But what illness did the Jongrimun Leader catch to be bedridden?”
“That was…”
I was momentarily flustered by the Zhongnan Sect Leader’s consecutive questions, but my brain was still spinning rapidly.
‘Even if it’s an Affiliated Family, if they’re a Sect Leader, they must be somewhat old, right?’
I immediately came up with an appropriate answer and spoke, but then…
“Ah, because of the Leader’s advanced age, their body weakened, and they caught a severe cold…”
“Hmm? Hasn’t the Jongrimun Leader just barely passed thirty?”
“…Yes. Around thirty is the perfect age to catch a severe cold.”
“…Huh?”
Fuck, wrong answer.
No, fuck, Jongrimun was being run by a total kid?
If I hadn’t made an appropriate excuse in that moment, I would have been screwed.
Hearing my answer, the Zhongnan Sect Leader looked puzzled before nodding.
“Mmm…, right, well. At around thirty, one should be careful of severe colds…”
“…Yes, ahaha. Our Leader is quite clumsy, you see. Haha…”
Of course, it made no sense. What Martial Artist in the World catches a severe cold at the age of thirty?
Still, the Zhongnan Sect Leader didn’t seem to think much of my words. Well, that didn’t mean his bombardment of questions was over, either.
“Did the Jongrimun Leader happen to talk about me by any chance?”
The second crisis.
But a crisis is also an opportunity. I intended to answer this question well and make up for my previous mistake.
“Yes, the Leader would often reminisce and talk about you, Sect Leader. Among those stories, the one the Leader talked about the most was during your first meeting…”
“Eh? The current Jongrimun Leader has never met me even once, though?”
“…They must have met you in their imagination, it seems.”
…This is embarrassing.
Fuck, what’s wrong with my batting average today? Why is everything I say turning into a disaster?
And fuck, if you’ve become a Sect Leader, you should obviously go pay your respects to the Main Sect Leader. This rude Bastard of a Jongrimun Leader…
As I looked to the side, Dongryong-i was glaring at me with a face that seemed to say, “Why are you doing unnecessary things?”, and the Zhongnan Sect Leader was also slowly sizing me up as if he found this Strange.
I’m screwed.
If the Zhongnan Sect Leader starts to get Suspicious, it won’t be long before our identities are exposed.
‘Let’s get a grip.’
With a slightly nervous heart, I took a sip of tea.
The Zhongnan Sect Leader slowly watched me before continuing his questions.
“…Right. What kind of Training did you do at Jongrimun in preparation for this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering?”
“This is my last chance.”
Old men like him like diligent and hardworking young men. Let’s create a good image with this question and cover up my previous mistakes.
I immediately put on a wistful expression as if reminiscing about memories, a small smile playing on my lips.
“We did very grueling Training. All the disciples of Jongrimun went into a Training camp together for our sake since we were participating in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering…”
“Ah, you even had a Training camp? Haha, the passion of the youth is amazing.”
The Zhongnan Sect Leader looked at us with proud eyes. At this, I continued speaking to add the Finishing Touch, but…
“Yes, all the disciples of Jongrimun, even the Leader, joined us in the Training camp.”
“Ah, even the Jongrimun Leader?”
“Yes, the Leader also trained with us, slept with us, washed with us, and stayed together as one body without separating for Twelve Shichen a day…”
“Eh? You washed and slept together with the Jongrimun Leader? …Isn’t the Jongrimun Leader a woman?”
“…What does being a man or a woman matter in Training?”
Ah…, seriously, stop this bullshit.
Seriously…, fuck…
The Jongrimun Leader was a woman?
Ugh, true to the Medieval Murim Worldview, if she’s a woman she should just be doing housework; why the Hell is she acting as a Sect Leader? (Author’s note: This is the Protagonist’s internal thought, not the author’s opinion.)
You are a fucking gender-equal Sect.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Unlike the storm in my mind, a cold silence settled in the room.
“Um…, did you say your name was Mu-Yeong?”
“…Yes.”
Before I knew it, the eyes of the Zhongnan Sect Leader looking at me were filled with suspicion.
He opened his mouth with difficulty and asked me.
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you show me a move of the Zhongnan Sword Art right here in front of me?”
“…”
And the moment I heard those words, I realized the situation was completely fucked.