Chapter 33. A Second-Rate Warrior Searching for a Legend (5)
If one were to name the most splendid building even in dazzling Yueyang, it would surely be Yueyang Tower, from which Dongting Lake could be seen in full view.
This tavern, which represented Yueyang, was a place one absolutely had to visit if one wished to say among high officials and nobles that one had enjoyed entertainment, and even among Confucian scholars, those who claimed to “understand refinement” had to visit it at least once.
Because of that, even among those who could endure Yueyang Tower’s murderous wine prices, making a reservation was as difficult as plucking stars from the sky.
“The party is at Yueyang Tower.”
“I heard reserving a place there is extremely difficult. Did you reserve it months in advance?”
“Pardon? Ah……. Hehe.”
At my question, Namgung Seon-hwa merely looked at Seong Mo-ran with an enigmatic gaze that seemed to know something and yet not know it.
When we entered Yueyang Tower, the people who had been noisily drinking all turned to look at us at once.
Even the people here were all the sort who could throw their weight around wherever they went, but it seemed the appearance of the Namgung Clan was still that novel.
“Shall we go up?”
“…….”
Yueyang Tower had seven floors, and from the higher floors, Dongting Lake’s scenery could be seen clearly in full view.
Because of this, each time one went up a floor in Yueyang Tower, the price rose exponentially.
Yueyang Tower itself transformed into a space that represented one’s status.
‘Taeul Sect could not even get inside in the first place.’
In my past life, and even in this life, no matter how full my money pouch might be with gold taels, my psychological aversion flatly rejected such things.
If I tried to eat a meal in a place like this, the faces of Taeul Sect’s junior disciples and Hall Masters came to mind.
Despite my feelings of surely not, surely not, the Namgung Clan party eventually climbed all the way to the seventh floor.
Not only that, but they had even secured seats on the seventh floor closest to the window.
The party mentioned earlier was already sitting there first, lightly drinking a cup of wine.
Each of them exuded an extraordinary force.
“This is Young Master Jin So-un from Taeul Sect.”
When Seong Mo-ran introduced me, I saw the eyes of the four men already seated dart quickly.
Then the man wearing a blue headscarf introduced himself first.
“I am Ha Min-jung of Mount Heng Sect.”
The man in the blue headscarf nodded slightly. He was Ha Min-jung, the Solitary Star Sword of Mount Heng Sect, which was not counted among the Nine Sects and One Gang, but was still evaluated as being no weaker than them.
The words “Five Hundred Years of Regret” always naturally followed behind Mount Heng Sect.
It was a saying the people of the murim used to mock the fact that at the time of the Murim Alliance’s founding, Mount Heng Sect had had a chance to participate in the alliance but had not attended, and so now, in the present, could not enjoy the same status as them.
“I am Ak Mu-heun of the Shandong Ak Clan.”
He was the eldest son of the Shandong Ak Clan, which held one seat among the Five Great Clans and at the same time had produced the Ak Clan Spear Form, an ultimate art so peerless that the military had adopted it as an official martial art.
“Yang In-su of Yang Estate.”
And there was even the eldest son of Yang Estate, which occupied the Twenty-Ninth Peak of the One Hundred Eight Peaks.
People from truly impressive houses were gathered in one place.
I felt as though I understood why they had secured seats on the seventh floor of Yueyang Tower.
Interestingly, while I offered them clasped hands greetings, they all shared the same response, merely nodding their heads.
As for me, this sort of thing happened all the time, so I did not particularly mind, but for some reason, Seong Mo-ran’s expression grew worse and worse. Namgung Seon-hwa, who noticed that, quickly stepped in.
“I did not greet you properly earlier, did I? I am Namgung Seon-hwa of the Namgung Clan. I heard a great deal about you from Older Brother San.”
At Namgung Seon-hwa’s words and actions, the men could not hide their astonishment all at once.
And perhaps because of Namgung Seon-hwa’s influence, the final remaining man, who had a gentle face, rose from his seat and offered a clasped hands greeting with an amiable smile.
“I am Yu Ji-ryang of the Maoshan Sect.”
Even the Maoshan Sect, a sect more distinctive than any other sect in the world thanks to its specialization in formation arts and spell arts, was here.
This gathering truly had everything it needed, and thoroughly so.
“By the way, how did a friend from Taeul Sect come here?”
Ak Mu-heun let out a strange question, directed neither to me nor to Namgung Seon-hwa.
“Ah, Young Master Jin So-un will be accompanying us.”
At Namgung Seon-hwa’s words, the brows of the three men twisted deeply.
“Hmm…… Does Taeul Sect want Mita Sacred Water too?”
“He is free to want it. If only he had the ability.”
“I am worried we may simply have one more person to protect.”
Ha Min-jung, Ak Mu-heun, and Yang In-su spoke in turn, and Seong Mo-ran’s expression began growing worse and worse.
“So, how many companions have you brought?”
“I came alone.”
“Eh?”
Ha Min-jung looked at Namgung Seon-hwa with an expression that said this was utterly absurd.
“Uh…… That is…….”
“If Young Master Jin’s accompanying us is uncomfortable, I will withdraw too.”
“Older Sister.”
Seong Mo-ran’s sudden declaration.
Not only the three men, but even my eyes widened.
“I am sorry, Seon-hwa. Even if I obtain the sacred water, I will be sure to give it to you.”
Seong Mo-ran bit her lip as though she had completely made up her mind, met my eyes, and nodded.
The three men looked at me as if they wanted an explanation for what in the world was going on, but even I myself knew nothing about the current situation.
If there was a reason she wished to come with me, I wondered if it was because she wanted to put a knife in my belly, but judging from her actions on the last day at Iron Sword Sect and her current appearance, it did not necessarily seem that way.
“Lady Seong…… You really do not have to go that far…….”
I tried to calm the situation. After all, this group was the group that would die inside Demon Spirit Plateau. Leaving on this occasion would not be bad either.
However, even Namgung Seon-hwa cut off my words and spoke.
“Sister Mo-ran came entirely to help me. If Sister says so, I will go with her as well.”
When even Namgung Seon-hwa acted like this, the remaining three men’s expressions turned awkward.
It was like the expression of someone who had found a silver coin on the road, only to see that shit was smeared on it.
“Ahem. Of course that is possible. Did we not originally gather in order to cooperate? Even if one person free-rides, we should understand.”
“Come to think of it, perhaps this is better. At least he has no companions.”
“Young Master Jin must have saved a country in a past life.”
The three men did not forget to say one final thing until the end.
Then Seong Mo-ran sat down and spoke.
“If you have already forgotten what happened to Iron Sword Sect after it looked down on Taeul Sect, you had best be careful.”
“…….”
“…….”
“……Ahem.”
When an awkward mood drifted through the gathering, Yu Ji-ryang opened his mouth with a smile.
“Great Hero Ha has obtained a map.”
When all eyes gathered on him, Ha Min-jung showed a triumphant smile and took a scroll out from inside his robe.
Then, when he unfurled the scroll, fine drawings like an ant nest were densely packed across it.
“Oh, so this is the map. Where did you obtain it?”
“Lady, that is confidential, so I cannot tell you easily. Haha.”
What Ha Min-jung had unfurled and shown was the map of the cave the Black Shop owner had shown me.
“Can this be trusted?”
Although there had been a small conflict with Seong Mo-ran just moments earlier, a smile lingered on Ha Min-jung’s face.
“They say it was made by a person who lived there for half a year.”
“Even so, it seems we cannot trust it completely.”
“Of course, it would only serve as a reference. But how could that compare to entering such a complicated place without even a map like this?”
Seong Mo-ran’s tone remained cold, but the gazes the three men directed at Seong Mo-ran remained warm.
Only then did I understand their relationship.
‘They’re at the height of their passion.’
If Seong Mo-ran was a cold beauty with a refreshing appearance, Namgung Seon-hwa was a cute beauty with delicate features.
Two beauties known as the Three Great Beauties of Anhui Province were before their eyes, so their gazes naturally warmed.
To men around the age of twenty, beauties like Seong Mo-ran and Namgung Seon-hwa were precious simply by virtue of existing.
On top of that, they also possessed impressive houses and martial arts, so for hot-blooded youths seeking partners, it was only natural that they wanted to look good to them somehow.
‘They’re having fun.’
Whether they knew what would happen from now on or not, I watched them giggle and chatter while tasting Jade Dew Wine, Yueyang Tower’s specialty.
At that moment, the lower floor began to grow noisy.
As we were conversing, we too began turning our heads toward the stairs one by one, and at the same time, as if struck by lightning, the men all rose from their seats at once.
“Yong So-ah!”
“It’s Yong So-ah!”
“It’s Yong So-ah, Wudang’s One Sword!”
At those words, my entire body also trembled as if struck by lightning.
Yong So-ah and those who seemed to be his junior brothers climbed to the seventh floor under a waiter’s guidance, and when Ha Min-jung’s group met Yong So-ah’s eyes, they offered clasped hands greetings with the utmost courtesy.
“Great Hero! It is an honor to meet you.”
“It is an honor.”
“It is an honor.”
Then even Seong Mo-ran and Namgung Seon-hwa approached and offered clasped hands greetings, and Yong So-ah answered by merely nodding his head.
Even so, there was no one who took offense.
-Above the dragons and phoenixes, Yong So-ah roams the heavens.
The Dragon and Phoenix Assembly was a gathering of the finest talents selected from each class of the Murim Academy.
The saying meant that even the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly could not compare to Yong So-ah.
Considering that the head of the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly was Small Buddha Il-myeong, a transcendent genius who would, in the future, master all of Shaolin’s Seventy-Two Ultimate Arts, one could tell how wildly audacious that saying was. Yet none of those belonging to the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly found those words unpleasant.
Yong So-ah was a genius who far surpassed geniuses, and he was already occasionally named among the Hundred Greatest Swords under Heaven.
Considering that his age was only in his mid-twenties, it was an incredible thing.
“Everyone…… has gathered here.”
Yong So-ah’s gaze slowly swept over the hall and then turned toward me.
An unreadable, impassive gaze.
The ones whose insides burned at that were Ha Min-jung and the others.
Each of them made a face and jerked his chin, telling me to hurry over and greet him.
“…….”
In my past life, there had been exactly one time when I met him as closely as this, and that was when he came to execute me.
He did not know it, but to me, this was not a pleasant situation at all.
I lifted my wine cup and turned my gaze toward Dongting Lake.
Soon after, Yong So-ah’s gaze also withdrew from me.
“……Do you intend to go to Demon Spirit Plateau?”
“Ah! Yes. That is correct. Great Hero, are you going there as well?”
“It is my sect’s order.”
To begin with, Yong So-ah would not need Mita Sacred Water.
“Ah, I see. Then would you perhaps go with us? In our case, we have secured a map of the interior.”
“……I have already secured a map, and I am on my way back from meeting the person who was there. ……Still, if you wish to come with me, I will not stop you. I cannot stand by and watch the younger sisters of my close friends die.”
“…….”
“…….”
His way of speaking was not especially pleasant, but in any case, at the words that they would go together, color returned to the faces of the party.
“……Of course, that only applies to those whose identities are certain.”
Yong So-ah’s gaze turned toward me again.
Seong Mo-ran quickly stepped forward and defended me.
“His identity is certain. He is Young Master Jin So-un of Taeul Sect, which occupies the First Peak of the One Hundred Eight Peaks.”
“……Taeul Sect? I have never heard of it. I cannot take on danger. If you go with him, I will consider you removed from our group.”
“…!!”
Seong Mo-ran looked back and forth between me and Yong So-ah with a shocked expression.
After finishing the rest of the Jade Dew Wine, I rose from my seat and approached Seong Mo-ran.
“Lady, it seems this is as far as we go. The consideration you have shown me up to this point is already more than enough for me.”
As I tried to leave like that, Yong So-ah spoke as though chewing out the words.
“Arrogant.”
“……What is arrogant?”
“It will be difficult for you to survive there alone.”
I tilted my head.
“Are you saying I am guaranteed to live if I follow you?”
“…….”
“Hey!”
Unable to endure my words, Ha Min-jung shouted, but I ignored him and continued speaking.
“Once we enter that place, no one can guarantee life or death anyway, can they? In that case, rather than entrusting my life to someone else, I will take responsibility for it myself.”
Yong So-ah was silent for a moment.
“……And audacious as well.”
He looked as though he were admonishing a child.
“Before worrying about others, why not worry about yourself first? Being from the Wudang Sect does not mean a sword cannot enter your body.”
With those words, I offered clasped hands greetings to Seong Mo-ran, Namgung Seon-hwa, and Yu Ji-ryang respectively, then left Yueyang Tower.
Only after I had passed through the crowd filling the street for quite some time did my reason return.
“Phew…….”
The reason that had remained cool even at Iron Sword Sect had thrashed in all directions like a dog let off its leash.
Though I had encountered him only once in my past life, I had no choice but to react that way because, though he did not know it, the things he had chosen had produced results that threw many Orthodox Path forces into despair.
“In any case, this is strange. The Wudang Sect and the Namgung Clan entered together, so how did only the Namgung Clan get annihilated?”
I knew that Yong So-ah and the Wudang Sect had participated in the battle for Mita Sacred Water.
However, I had not known that they had been with the Namgung Clan’s party.
“Was he able to discard even one of the Five Great Clans as he pleased, so third-rate sects were never in his eyes in the first place?”
A bitter smile formed at my lips. Knowing full well that a tragic ending awaited yet being unable to say anything was the weight that one who knew the future had to bear.
After I had walked a few more steps like that, I heard the quick patter of someone running up behind me.
“Lady Seong? What brings you here? Were you not going to move with the Wudang Sect?”
“Haa, I don’t know. Whether I enter with that side or not, I will survive, but you…… You are bound to die, aren’t you?”
“Pardon?”
“Ah~ forget it. I have already decided. Haa, I wonder what Father or Grandfather will say if they find out.”
Seong Mo-ran sighed and looked up at the sky.
The people of the Namgung Clan approached in succession.
“I will keep it secret from the people of Iron Sword Sect that you met Great Hero Yong So-ah.”
“Seon-hwa!”
“You came saying you would help me, so how could you simply leave?”
“No…… It was just that I was a little worried.”
Seong Mo-ran glanced at me again and again while fidgeting with her fingers.
“Are you all right?”
“I am fine. In any case, if we move with that side, Great Hero Yong So-ah is likely to end up taking it. Rather, this turned out well.”
“With this, the party has become much simpler.”
Yu Ji-ryang followed behind them, along with two men who appeared to be his companions.
“Great Hero Yu, I am sorry.”
“It is all right. We were hired in the first place, were we not? Please simply protect us formation masters well.”
I asked about something I had been curious about since earlier.
“This may be a strange thing to ask all of a sudden, but is it not rather dangerous for formation masters to go inside?”
At my words, Namgung Seon-hwa answered with a smile.
“They say there is a formation created from natural objects inside.”
“A formation?”
“Yes. That is why even the Hao Gate members, though they have a map of the inside, could not think of taking Mita Sacred Water for themselves.”
“……I heard that Natural Formations were not difficult to break.”
Natural Formations created by chance were usually helplessly broken before powerful destructive force.
Aside from the young lady of the Namgung Clan, the Namgung Clan warriors were also full of masters, so they had no need to fear something like a Natural Formation.
“Hmm…… It may use natural objects, but they say it is not a Natural Formation. They say it is an enormous formation made through methods from roughly three to four hundred years ago.”
“…….”
As if lightning had struck inside my head, stories whose pieces fit together began gathering one by one.
‘Could it be….’
Meanwhile, Namgung Seon-hwa spoke with a worried look.
“But what should we do since we failed to secure the map?”
“I’m sorry, Seon-hwa.”
“No. That side is the same in that it lacks information too. It should be a little easier to obtain a map instead.”
It seemed the companions she had been with before had divided responsibilities among themselves and planned to gather the things necessary to enter the cave.
After briefly organizing the contents of the library in my head, I spoke.
“Ah, you do not have to worry about the map.”
“Pardon?”
“I memorized the whole map.”
The people tilted their heads, as though they could not understand my words.
Then Seong Mo-ran seemed to realize what I meant, and her face showed utter astonishment.
