Chapter 20

Hong Sa-ryeon was the first person to meet the visitor.

After finishing her lesson at Busaeng Hall, she had been on her way to train alone when she noticed him.

A fine sword hung from his waist, and his clothes were far more luxurious than anything Sa-ryeon owned. With his handsome face and tall build, he clearly did not look like an ordinary person.

Even though he had entered an unfamiliar place, he carried himself boldly without the slightest discomfort.

Most of all, his face seemed strangely familiar, though Sa-ryeon could not remember where she had seen him.

“What brings you here?”

“I am looking for someone. Is there a young man named Jin So-un here?”

Sa-ryeon narrowed her eyes at the unexpected question.

The young man looked four or five years older than So-un. She could not help wondering when So-un had become acquainted with someone like him without her knowing.

“What business do you have with him?”

“I came to speak with him about a personal matter.”

“Senior Brother Jin has not returned for several days. You will have to come back another time.”

“Hmm…”

Sa-ryeon had clearly hinted that he should leave, especially since he had not even introduced himself.

Yet the young man did not move.

“Then may I wait here?”

“…What do you think you are doing? The Taeul Sect is not an inn.”

Only then did the young man seem to realize his mistake.

“Ah, my apologies. I should greet the Sect Leader first and ask for permission. Would you guide me to him?”

“Excuse me!”

Sa-ryeon finally lost her patience and raised her voice.

At that moment, the young man smiled faintly.

“I am Namgung San of the Namgung Clan.”

“The Heaven-Opening Divine Dragon?”

Only then did Sa-ryeon remember him.

He had been present when they were humiliated at the Iron Sword Sect.

“That is correct. That is me.”

Namgung San’s arrival caused quite a stir throughout the Taeul Sect.

Gye Cheol-yeong visited the guest residence so often that the door seemed ready to wear out. The hall masters also stopped by from time to time, hoping to form a connection with him.

The younger disciples were even more excited.

He was a rising expert they had only heard about through rumors in Jianghu. On top of that, he was famous for being a handsome young master.

With someone like him staying at the Taeul Sect, it was only natural that the disciples could not contain their excitement.

“Great Hero Namgung San is so impressive.”

“How nice would it have been to be born into a family like the Namgung Clan?”

“I would be satisfied just learning the Namgung Clan’s Boundless Firmament Sword Art. I heard even their ordinary disciples are chosen through a strict selection process.”

Still, I could not understand why Namgung San had gone out of his way to find me.

There was no chance he was connected to Namgung Sang-won.

From the beginning, Namgung Sang-won’s goal had been to weaken the Namgung Clan’s direct line and place the collateral line in control.

To Namgung San, who was practically the next head of the Namgung Clan, Namgung Sang-won was an irreconcilable enemy.

Then had he come to praise me for what I had done?

The timing was far too quick.

Even if the Namgung Clan knew about the incident, would they really send their only legitimate heir to meet a mere warrior from the Taeul Sect?

And not just any heir, but the Heaven-Opening Divine Dragon, known as the greatest talent in Anhui Province?

No explanation made sense.

Namgung San had never visited the Taeul Sect in my previous life.

If something happened in this life that had never happened before, then something else must have changed to cause it.

‘Something that existed in my previous life but does not exist now… or something that exists now but did not exist before.’

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, one possibility came to me.

“…So that was it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It is nothing.”

“When did you become acquainted with the Namgung Clan? Do you meet new people every time you leave the sect?”

“It is not like that.”

“In any case, hurry and go. He has already been waiting here for a week, and everyone in the Taeul Sect feels uncomfortable because of him.”

“Understood.”

“The Great Mysterious Hall is that way. He is staying in the detached residence.”

“I will greet the Sect Leader first. You should go and tell him that I have returned.”

“No, I just told you he has already been waiting for an entire week!”

“He chose to wait on his own. Since we never made an appointment, I am free to follow my own schedule as well.”

“No! What are you even saying…? And since when did you start greeting the Sect Leader so diligently?”

“…I have always greeted him properly. Go and tell the guest that I have returned.”

Sa-ryeon grumbled under her breath.

“If he is going there later anyway, why is he making me deliver the message…?”

Still complaining, she headed toward the detached residence.

When I entered the Great Mysterious Hall, Father and Hong Mun-gi happened to be discussing matters concerning the sect.

“Sect Leader, Disciple Jin So-un has returned from his outing.”

At my greeting, both Father and Hong Mun-gi stared at me in surprise.

Judging by their reactions, Sa-ryeon had been right. I really did not greet them properly very often.

“Yes. Did you return safely?”

Hong Mun-gi was the first to recover. He greeted me with a gentle smile.

Father, on the other hand, still looked shocked.

“What in the world happened? You actually came all the way here to greet the Sect Leader.”

“Father, saying that only makes you look bad.”

“You rotten brat…”

Unlike the hot-tempered Sa-ryeon, Hong Mun-gi merely let out a refined laugh.

“You have a guest waiting in the detached residence. Have you heard?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Good. Then you should go meet him.”

“He did not make an appointment with me. I have a few things to report first, so I will stay for a moment.”

This time, both Hong Mun-gi and Father stared at me in surprise.

“May I have a cup of tea?”

“You even want to drink tea before going? You brat, Namgung San is waiting for you.”

“Father, what is so special about the Namgung Clan that I must rush over without even reporting to the Sect Leader? Looking at you, one might think you belonged to the Namgung Clan rather than the Taeul Sect.”

“You… you rotten brat!”

“Hoho. Tae-san, I am sorry, but could you prepare some tea? It has been a long time since I last shared tea with So-un.”

“Haa…”

Father sighed, but his hands moved with practiced ease.

Before long, a steaming cup of tea was placed in front of me.

I left out the unnecessary details and explained how I had rescued Wang So-so.

“…Hoho. So you believed the child had been kidnapped, followed the kidnappers, and rescued her.”

“Yes. However, while helping her, I discovered that she was suffering from an illness. I taught her the Taeul Heart Method without receiving permission first. I apologize.”

“It is fine. Martial arts exist to help people. If a basic martial art was enough to save her, then you did what needed to be done.”

Hong Mun-gi and Father understood the situation as me having rescued a woman and a child from human traffickers.

I had deliberately explained it that way so there would be no misunderstanding if Wang Geum-san later came looking for us.

“By the way, why did Young Master Namgung San come to see you?” Father asked. “He has occupied the best room in the sect for a week, and we have had to serve him three meals every day. He has caused us quite a headache.”

“Who knows? Perhaps he came to learn a technique from me.”

“What?”

Father’s face crumpled like a sheet of paper.

No matter how many times I saw that expression, it was always entertaining.

“Did I not defeat Seong Mo-hyeon of the Iron Sword Sect in my own way? I even stole the Ninefold Sword. Perhaps even the eldest young master of the great Namgung Clan wishes to learn something from me.”

“Enough! You rotten brat. If you are only going to talk nonsense, then get out!”

“Yes, Sect Leader. This disciple will leave now and meet his guest.”

Namgung San felt a strange emotion.

Although Namgung San had neither met Jin So-un nor spoken with him, he felt angry.

Even stranger, the emotion had appeared without warning.

When he first learned that Jin So-un was absent, he had felt no resentment.

After all, they had never arranged to meet.

He had spent seven days in shabby lodgings and eaten meager meals, yet he had not complained.

He was the one who had chosen to wait. He could hardly blame the Taeul Sect for offering only the hospitality it could afford.

But the moment he heard that Jin So-un had returned—

Anger surged from deep within his chest.

It was the first time Namgung San had ever experienced such an emotion, leaving even him confused.

“What sort of person is Young Master Jin So-un?”

The girl beside him had delivered the news while looking restless.

She could not compare to Namgung San, but as someone burdened with carrying on the next generation of her sect, she had drawn a small measure of his interest.

“Senior Brother? I’m not sure. He is impossible to understand.”

The girl frowned as though recalling something unpleasant, but gradually grew more animated as she continued.

“Well, he does many unpredictable things, but I do not think he simply acts however he pleases.”

She began counting on her fingers.

“He cares deeply about the sect’s junior disciples. He has no manners, yet he takes surprisingly good care of the Elders. He rarely greets anyone properly himself, but the moment someone insults them, his eyes turn fierce and he charges straight in.”

“Your senior brother sounds dependable.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? Did you not hear anything I just said?”

“Is that so?”

The girl, whose name he still did not know, stuck out her tongue with a blegh and made a face as though she had bitten into something bitter.

“I heard you were looking for me.”

A young man entered the detached residence.

An ordinary blue-steel sword hung from his waist. His martial uniform was old, though it had been washed clean. His long hair was tied neatly behind his head.

There was nothing remarkable about his appearance.

‘How strange.’

Yet the moment Namgung San saw him, his emotions began to boil like iron inside a furnace.

“Are you Jin So-un?”

“Did you come looking for me without even knowing what I look like?”

The nameless girl glanced between Jin So-un and Namgung San, trying to understand what was happening.

“I have only heard reports about you.”

“Were you not there that day?”

“That day?”

“At the Iron Sword Sect.”

Now that Namgung San thought about it, he vaguely remembered seeing this young man and the nameless girl when the Iron Sword Sect lost the Ninefold Sword.

“Ah, I see. Now that I think about it, you were there with us.”

“……Is there something wrong with your memory?”

What was this feeling?

Did Jin So-un’s very existence somehow provoke disgust from the depths of his heart?

Even words spoken without any apparent intention stirred Namgung San’s emotions.

“No.”

He looked at Jin So-un indifferently.

“I simply do not pay attention to things that do not interest me.”

“It was something I requested in the first place. That is why it ended up in your hands.”

If the Grand Strategist had firmly promised the Entry Token to Namgung San, there would be no reason for him to come here and demand it from me.

The Grand Strategist could simply make another one and give it to him.

In other words, although Jegal So-myeong had originally intended to give the token to Namgung San, he had decided there was no real problem with giving it to me instead.

The conclusion was simple.

The Entry Token had never belonged to Namgung San.

“How strange.”

I looked at him calmly.

“If it was truly yours, Great Hero, why did the Grand Strategist give it to me?”

“……”

“It seems you should take this matter up with the Grand Strategist, not me.”

I gave him a faint smile.

“Or is the Grand Strategist too troublesome to confront, while the Taeul Sect looks easy enough to pressure?”

Namgung San let out a long sigh.

“You have a remarkable talent for irritating others.”

“My words do not stray from reason. If they irritate you, Great Hero, that is your problem.”

“Of course, I am not asking you to return it without compensation.”

“……”

“I have prepared something of equal value.”

Namgung San opened his hand.

“This is the Seven-Colored Jewel. It is a rare treasure worth enough to purchase a mansion with ninety-nine bays. I will give it to you in exchange.”

A jewel radiating seven brilliant colors rested on his palm.

According to my memories, it was valuable enough to purchase not one, but three mansions of that size.

“I came here under my own name and kept this matter private for both your sake and the Taeul Sect’s.”

Namgung San’s voice became firmer.

“If Jianghu learned that you coveted something belonging to the Namgung Clan, how do you think people would view you? And how would they view the Taeul Sect?”

He was right about one thing.

If he made this dispute public, it would quickly grow beyond our control.

The Namgung Clan’s version of events would spread far more widely, tightening around the Taeul Sect like a noose.

Moreover, he was not demanding the token for nothing.

He was even offering the Seven-Colored Jewel in return.

From an outsider’s perspective, I should have been thanking him.

“Cut the crap.”

“……What?”

I had intended to express my gratitude.

Unfortunately, my true feelings came out instead.

“Well, do as you please.”

“Do you believe…… I cannot?”

“The Taeul Sect is not such a small sect that you can simply trample over it.”

I met his gaze.

“You are taking both me and my sect far too lightly.”

“……You want this to become a major dispute?”

His eyes narrowed.

“Can you withstand the Namgung Clan?”

“Even if I cannot, you still will not find the Entry Token.”

“……”

“And you should choose your next move carefully.”

I smiled faintly.

“The Iron Sword Sect behaved exactly as you are behaving now, Great Hero.”

Namgung San’s expression stiffened.

“And they lost the Ninefold Sword because of it.”

“……!”