A Visit to the Cheonsubaekryeonsa Reception Hall
I cautiously opened the door and stepped into the reception hall of Cheonsubaekryeonsa.
“May I help you?”
A young man with skin as smooth and spotless as freshly polished marble smiled brightly. He carried a refined, almost antique gentleman’s demeanor.
His cheerful expression eased the stiffness in my chest.
“Are you the clerk?”
“Yes.”
I took out the token handed to me by Lee Jasuo and presented it.
“If the executor submits this token to the clerk of the reception hall, he will deliver the documents regarding the first trial.”
“Ah, you’re already performing the first trial at this stage.”
The clerk examined the name engraved on my token and nodded.
“Moyong Bi, who is said to be undertaking a punitive trial. I have heard the stories.”
Has my story spread this far already?
The feeling that I had become the official thorn in Cheonsubaekryeonsa’s side was far from pleasant.
“Wait a moment, please.”
Behind him stood a tall bookshelf reaching to the ceiling.
Every compartment was labeled, filled with neatly wrapped white bundles.
He opened one compartment and took out a package, placing it before me.
The dust from the bundle rose in clouds, floating in the sunlight.
“These are the documents detailing this trial. This belt and pendant mark your affiliation with Cheonsubaekryeonsa. Anyone wearing this attire is absolutely forbidden from interfering in any dispute, so even during the trial, you must wear it as the outermost layer.”
I fastened the belt marked with the character Summer.
A set of steel gauntlets and a single sword I had pre-ordered were revealed.
I had no choice but to request them after mastering the Vajra Demon Subduing Fist.
The total length was three and a half inches. When fitted into the palm, it protected up to the elbow.
—Click. Click.
I clenched and unclenched my fist. It felt stiff.
Its crude manufacture left me with an uneasy sensation in my movements.
It was unavoidable.
I also swung the slightly shorter five-inch sword to test its balance. The handle was a bit thick for a single hand and felt awkward.
I don’t have much knowledge of weapons, but this one is utter trash, even from my perspective.
Since I didn’t have one, a million times better.
I strapped the sword to my waist.
Something felt like I was pretending to be a real jianghu swordsman while actually belonging to some group.
I carefully tucked the pendant given by the clerk into my pouch and unfolded the bundle of papers.
—First Trial
Accompanied by the rustling sound, the visible text appeared before my eyes.
My heart trembled as I slowly read the text below.
I didn’t feel this nervous even when entering the sect after advancing toward the capital with the intention of learning martial arts and taking the entrance exam.
“This is insane.”
That was Pahwanggun’s comment as he came to greet me at the back of Cheonsubaekryeonsa.
Pahwanggun shook the document in front of my face, furrowing his brows.
“You’re telling me this document was actually handed to you by the clerk in the reception hall himself?”
“Isn’t that strange?”
Pahwanggun’s face flushed red enough to burst.
“Strange? Of course it is! Granted, I’m only the second executor assigned to Cheonsubaekryeonsa, so I can’t be certain if something like this happened before, but is it reasonable to send a newbie like you straight to the outermost border like a stray dog? Even if it’s a punitive trial, there’s no way! What on earth is ‘seongryeonhwa’?!”
“I don’t know much myself, but the clerk must have seen it as a radiant lotus that can’t be overlooked at a glance, and he only told me not to worry too much…”
I had already unfolded the document that had been crumpled in Pahwanggun’s grip and read it again.
—First Punitive Trial.
Immediately after opening the sealed document, proceed to Baekhakmubong in the northwest. Retrieve the Sacred Lotus Flower and bring it to the reception hall of Cheonsubaekryeonsa for verification. Once you do, the trial will be complete.
Time Limit: One Month
If the time limit is exceeded, the trial will be considered a failure.
The paper was flipped without further explanation.
On the back was a map leading to Baeghakmubong.
I glanced at the map, pretending to check the route.
But the map was completely illegible.
My heart was more complicated than words could describe.
I’m not an idiot; my intentions are blatantly obvious.
Using the trial as an excuse to pull me out into the wilderness during this time when I act alone?
Even though I tried not to think badly of it, I couldn’t help it.
They must be exploiting the fact that disciples can never refuse a punitive trial… to exile me.
—It’s a complete scam.
Mumyeong’s voice carried a sharp edge.
Even so, I never expected them to act so openly like this. While it doesn’t provide absolute proof, the circumstantial evidence points strongly to someone in the leadership of Cheonsubaekryeonsa having connections with the Moyong Family’s existing power structure.
At least an eight out of ten chance.
I closed my eyes and sighed.
It’s become suffocating.
If those leaders were standing right in front of me, I’d grab them by the collar, shake them until their eardrums ruptured, and shout at the top of my lungs.
I don’t give a damn about the position of family head.
Just quietly build up my strength and walk my own path.
The problem was I didn’t even know who to confront.
It wasn’t in my nature to just sit and take it.
I had prepared as much as possible for this possibility.
Yet I still felt it was hopelessly insufficient.
I was still far too weak, and the opponent was an unknown powerhouse whose strength I couldn’t even gauge.
Pahwanggun hung his head and muttered.
“You’re trying to lay a hand on my child, are you? You bastards.”
“Alright then.”
Pahwanggun looked around.
After circling for a long time and confirming no one was nearby, he placed something in my hand.
“Don’t let anyone know about this.”
What he handed me was a small bell smaller than a silver fist. The bell was filled with gold thread and intricate patterns.
“I don’t believe in stuff like that…”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Just take it. I received it too, so I’m a little unsure, but just in case.”
The bell in my hand was filled with paper so it made no sound when shaken.
It had an unusual handle and carried a strange scent.
“When you’re really on the brink of death, when you truly have no other choice but to die, no matter how you think about it…”
Pahwanggun pointed at the bell.
“Use this. The method is…”
I made a dumbfounded expression while listening to the explanation, but Pahwanggun’s face remained endlessly serious.
“Understood.”
Pahwanggun adjusted my collar and said.
“Take care of yourself. Don’t worry too much.”
“Um… Pahwanggun-nim. They—”
I hadn’t expected it.
But until the very moment I left for the trial, I could never see their faces.
Pahwanggun’s expression was bitter.
“He said to pass on his regards for taking care of your body.”
…
Moyong Ryu and Jin Muje received their share of my punishment and were ordered to perform the seven-day wall reflection and the solitary training at Ha-mu-gwan. I wouldn’t see them again until after passing Ha-mu-gwan.
“If you finish this trial quickly, you’ll get to see those guys who got their butts kicked instead, right? You can do it, Bi-ya?”
I wondered if anyone else had ever received such worry from me.
“Of course.”
After that, Pahwanggun kept watching me until I faded from sight as I left the gates of Cheonsubaekryeonsa.
[I wonder if the host knows or not.]
“What else do I need to stir up?”
I rubbed my tear ducts and rubbed the cold at the tip of my nose.
I fixed my luggage.
[Sometimes like a beast provoked to fury, sometimes endlessly sentimental. Of course…]
Mumyeong spoke after a pause.
[It seems your aggression is gradually increasing.]
“Shut your mouth and sense the surroundings.”
After my rebuke, Mumyeong remained silent for a moment before replying in a dry, emotionless voice.
[Indeed, when I exited the back gate of Cheonsubaekryeonsa, at least seven gazes were watching over the host. But now…]
“They’re gone?”
[Yes.]
Even if one were a minor righteous sect, since I was wearing the Cheonsubaekryeonsa uniform, it was an absolute rule not to interfere.
This was a group-wide regulation. If an attacker struck me while I was wearing the Cheonsubaekryeonsa uniform during the trial, the Righteous Alliance would investigate, and all righteous sects would be mobilized for a cruel revenge.
Even if it was the Moyong Family with its twisted eyes, they wouldn’t dare attack me in broad daylight while wearing that uniform.
Of course, if it were in an extremely rare place where no one could see, it would be impossible to be certain…
“Are you asking if this belt belongs to Cheonsubaekryeonsa? It seems this is the time when the current executor begins the trial.”
As I walked along the road, I soon encountered a caravan of about twenty people.
The carriage owner was very pleased to hear that I was performing the first trial as a member of Chunmu Hall.
“My eldest son entered Cheonsubaekryeonsa six years ago during the previous executor’s time and later left! Even though he ended it in Chunmu Hall, heh heh.”
After a short conversation, the carriage owner agreed to take me all the way to the entrance of Baegah-mubong.
“Why walk when you can get a ride? I don’t know much about it, but Baeghakmubong is a famous dangerous valley filled with mist or heavy rain for twelve months of the year. It would be wise to conserve your strength. We wouldn’t mind having a warrior from Cheonsubaekryeonsa along, and you can have company too.”
To someone who had been harassed by a mere charcoal seller while roaming the capital and forced to leave when he tried to rest in front of a shop, such kindness felt completely foreign.
Was this kindness toward me, Moyong Bi, or toward the Cheonsubaekryeonsa belt?
Only the clothes I wore had changed, yet I felt the world treating me differently.
“I sincerely thank you.”
Suppressing the inexplicable feeling and offering a polite thank you.
Even to steady my chaotic heart, I considered the best strategy.
Two is better than one.
Upon examining the caravan, it was a group of sturdy adult men who drove only a dozen horses.
Since we were heading to the outermost northwest, where people were rare, we would have to be careful of Green Forest groups or pirate boats.
With this number, it was more than enough to support one person’s body.
“By the way, there’s something I’ve been curious about. May I ask, Lord Carriage Owner?”
Huang Daxia, the carriage owner, was a cheerful man.
He constantly asked me about Cheonsubaekryeonsa, and our conversation flowed smoothly.
“Ask anything you want. Cheon Xia.”
The Moyong surname was far too noticeable.
I introduced myself with the alias Cheonryubi.
“What are you shipping to such a remote place? I’ve also been bothered by that pungent scent…”
Huang Daxia showed a surprised expression at my question.
“Ah, as expected of a Cheonsubaekryeonsa warrior. It must have been sealed in an extremely small quantity and difficult to transport. Hahaha, I’ll show you just a little, only to you?”
“Yes…? What on earth…?”
Huang Daxia took out a box from his pouch.
“First, our main goods are grain for the regular army at the border. We also have personal ties with the local general, so there was a personal request…”
He opened the lid.
“Although it’s a tiny amount, I managed to get it. It’s nothing special, but perhaps you’d like to see it?”
I suspected my eyes.
“This is…”
I looked up at the carriage owner.
Huang Daxia was smiling smugly.
Inside the box were bundles of paper no thicker than a little finger.
A pungent smell rose.
I could tell without looking.
It was definitely gunpowder, though its purpose was unknown and the quantity was absurdly small.
Oh no.
I sighed softly.
Which merchant exactly had I boarded with?