Audacious Entry into Haenam Sect
"……Please, come in."
In the end, the Haenam Sect had no choice but to let Bang So-un inside. Having issued a guest ban earlier, their position was now awkward, but there was nothing to be done. The eyes of the world were watching. Refusing to admit an observer from the opponent's side would only make them a laughingstock.
"Haha, my thanks. But it seems your Haenam Sect has rather complicated procedures. For something this obvious to take so long."
Bang So-un landed a subtle jab at the sect as he passed by with a laugh, as if it were mere small talk.
"No, that's not it…… We just needed to confirm with the principal."
The disciple in charge struggled to maintain his composure as he replied. The Golden Dragon Battlefield's lord. Even from their brief encounter, it was clear he was the kind of man who rubbed people the wrong way. Was it because of his lightning rise to power, overstepping his station? There was an underlying arrogance in his expression and tone that grated.
The higher-ups' judgment had been spot on. This sort needed a proper lesson in how vast the murim heavens truly were—and the value of humility. It was a shame the opportunity wasn't his.
"The guide?"
Bang So-un demanded one as if it were the most natural thing in the world—a demeanor rare among those visiting the Haenam Sect. As a renowned great sect, most visitors shrank back or at least showed some humility. But Bang So-un displayed none of that.
'The nerve—does he think this is his Golden Dragon Battlefield?'
Irritation boiled in the disciple's chest, but he kept it hidden. After all, the man was an observer.
'Hmph, once he steps into the main hall, he'll learn what real power is.'
The disciple was convinced of it. This mountain gate was merely the sect's outskirts. The moment one crossed into the core and entered the main hall, the true might of the Haenam Sect would become painfully clear.
"……I'll have my junior brother handle the guiding. Junior brother, show them the way."
"Yes, senior brother."
And so, Bang So-un's group proceeded boldly toward the inner sect under the guidance of a Haenam Sect disciple, their status as observers unquestioned.
'Heh heh, what an unexpected delightful scene.'
Yang Dae, who had watched the events at the mountain gate unfold, grinned slyly.
'The Golden Dragon lord as the Sword Peak's observer? The scent of a juicy story is thick in the air.'
Yang Dae was a rumor-monger. To thrive in that trade, one had to stay abreast of the latest murim happenings. The jianghu was a treasure trove of profitable tales, bursting with new ones daily.
Bang So-un, lord of the Golden Dragon Battlefield, was already a well-known figure among rumor-mongers. His stories sold like hotcakes. The backstory alone—a meteoric rise as a live-in son-in-law—hooked listeners. Add to that a wife who was the foremost beauty of Jiangnan, plus rampant rumors of his brazen affair with the Red-Eyed Fox, another peerless stunner, and it was pure gold. A rags-to-riches groom monopolizing the bodies and hearts of two absolute beauties? Few tales appealed more to the masses.
So the rumor-mongers fleshed out his legends with abandon: his manhood a monstrous endowment; stamina rivaling a stud stallion; tongue work that left serpents in the dust; fingers so deft that women collapsed from a mere caress. Slap on any plausible detail, and it flew off the shelves. Being erotic, it resonated especially with men.
'Hangzhou's playboy now tangled with Sword Peak?'
Yang Dae's lips twitched with barely contained amusement. Objectively, it was just a duel between martial artists with an observer. But did the world ever work that simply? There had to be hidden undercurrents. If not, he could invent some—it was his job, after all.
'Come to think of it, Sword Peak's said to be an incredible beauty too?'
He'd never seen her face himself, but the rumors were tantalizing: a gasp-inducing absolute beauty.
'Something smells off.'
Hangzhou's notorious rake and a peerless beauty? No sweeter pairing to perk up ears. His instincts as a rumor-monger stirred.
'At least the rumors of his womanizing seem spot on.'
Bang So-un's entourage—likely escorts. Only one man among them; the rest women. Who else paraded women so openly as guards? With a wife at home, he'd been flaunting visits to brothels and his fling with the Red-Eyed Fox. Now he was done with pretense altogether. His wife must have a heart of steel to allow it. No wonder she bore the nickname "Living Buddha Lady." With a wife like that, life would be heaven…… Not the point.
"Anyway, shall we go?"
Yang Dae's eyes gleamed. He'd wring out a big scoop if it killed him. And so he moved.
An awkward gathering. Heon Won-gang's mood wasn't great. It wasn't just because the Golden Dragon lord was Sword Peak's observer.
It was the frustration of a certainty going awry. That alone grated.
Still……
'Nothing's really changed.'
He gulped down the steaming tea in one go.
An unexpected observer, but having one was normal. Fundamentally, nothing had shifted. The duel would proceed smoothly.
"How's business? Making good money?"
To bring up money with someone attending as a duel observer? It was disdain, a provocation. You're no orthodox sect—just merchants chasing coin. Even from the Haenam Sect's leader, it was a remark that could slip past composure if mishandled.
But Bang So-un only smiled.
"Haha, thanks to everyone, we're doing quite well."
"Thanks to everyone?"
"Business thrives because there are customers, no? So it's all thanks to you all."
"……."
Bang So-un brushed off Heon Won-gang's provocation with a light laugh. No easy feat—especially for a young fortress lord in his mid-twenties, a mere young expert.
'Hmph, so he's not just lucky in marriage.'
Of course. Hwang Bo-seol, famed as a genius beauty, wouldn't pick any man as her live-in groom. He had to have real talent.
And……
'Sword Peak chose him as observer. Or perhaps Geomgak did.'
Heon Won-gang abandoned any underestimation. It wasn't just the Golden Dragon backing him; the man himself seemed no lightweight.
"Hrm, well, glad you arrived on time."
"Time is the merchant's lifeblood, after all."
Bang So-un's unflinching reply came with a faint smile. Heon Won-gang's eyebrow twitched slightly.
'Definitely no ordinary fox.'
Calling himself a merchant to undercut further? It slyly poked at Heon Won-gang's earlier money jab. A crafty fox through and through.
'He has ambitions, no doubt. But the murim isn't so forgiving to foolish young wolves.'
Heon Won-gang could already picture the man's end. Ambitious youths with fire in their bellies appeared endlessly in murim history. Yet most met the same fate: crushed against the unyielding walls of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, ending in pathetic ruin.
Come to think of it, Sword Peak choosing him spoke of true skill—but also overweening pride. Birds of a feather, indeed.
"Heh heh, the lord of the Golden Dragon calling himself a mere merchant? Too humble by half."
The White Cloud Hermit spoke up.
"If I've offended you, my apologies."
"Heh heh, nonsense. How could you?"
With the hermit's intervention, the tense air eased somewhat.
"Let us both fulfill our roles for a fine duel."
"Indeed we should."
Bang So-un smiled in response. Truth be told, as fellow observers, the heavier burden fell on him. This was Haenam Sect territory. Even a great sect couldn't guarantee perfect fairness. As a private faction, bias toward home advantage was inevitable.
That's why major duels drawing public eyes were held in neutral ground. Yu Seol-young's choice of enemy turf without hesitation was highly unusual.
Thus, Bang So-un should have felt pressure……
'But nothing to worry about.'
On the contrary, he felt utterly at ease. He was certain. No matter what tricks Haenam pulled for advantage, Yu Seol-young would dismantle them effortlessly.
"Heh heh, splendid. Time seems to be upon us……."
"Yes, hermit. Our sect is fully prepared."
"No issues on my end."
Heon Won-gang and Yu Seol-young rose.
"Heh heh, then to the arena."
At last, the fateful hour arrived.
"You've stirred up quite the fun."
Yu Seol-young spoke with an impassive face.
"Felt bad for you without an observer."
Bang So-un grinned shamelessly.
"Felt bad?"
"Even a phoenix looks pitiful surrounded by a flock of crows."
Dismissing Haenam Sect as crows—in earshot of their eyes and ears? Few had the gall for that. Yet it drew a faint smile from Yu Seol-young's lips.
"Heh, is that so."
"What?"
"Means you're worth watching more."
After ruthlessly slaying pirates and adding her name to the provocative message against Haesabang—"worth watching." Now, mere days later, "more" was tacked on. Anyone knowing Yu Seol-young would grasp how absurd a leap that was. She'd openly declared the world full of dull men.
Bang So-un sensed things progressing nicely. Though victory was still distant.
"Good. If you win, I'll buy you a celebratory drink."
Many men had asked her for one; none succeeded. Given her view of them, it was natural. Bang So-un would have been refused too—were it not today.
"I'll think about it."
For the first time, an ambiguous reply lingered from her lips.