Suspicious Individuals
The young boy Seo Jukyeong, who bore the unmistakable features of a southern race, was a renowned martial artist.
Four days had passed since Heuksu had taken up residence at Kunlun Sect, and he was currently acting as the true master of this place.
He was the younger brother of Ha Sowol’s deceased husband, the woman who held the real authority here, and a young boy destined to become the future leader of Kunlun Sect.
Yet the situation before him left Seo Jukyeong feeling distinctly displeased.
Though still young, he had been diligently training every day as the sect’s designated successor.
He had also formed some understanding of the woman known as Heuksu.
‘The one who stirred up the entire Qinghai region before being driven off by sister-in-law. I heard that even after that day she kept looking for chances to defeat her…’
Contrary to what he had heard, Heuksu did not carry the aura of a true threat.
More accurately, she gave the impression that something vital inside her had died long ago.
She had improved somewhat since the physician had examined her condition a week earlier, yet she still felt…
Deflated in every way one could imagine.
Still, that alone could not erase the uneasy feeling Seo Jukyeong harbored toward her.
No matter how one looked at it, the woman was, after all, sister-in-law’s…
An enemy of Kunlun Sect.
To Seo Jukyeong she was the only family he had left and the closest thing to a mother figure for Ha Sowol.
Letting someone like her roam free felt uncomfortably like harboring an enemy within the household.
‘Well… sister-in-law probably has her own reasons. Still, it’s unsettling. Brother always said you can’t truly know another person’s heart…’
Carrying that worry in the back of his mind—that this wounded, beast-like woman might strike at any moment in any way—Seo Jukyeong set out for today’s scheduled outing, accompanied by his escorts.
After a short detour, the place he reached lay at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, a fairly large village.
Its scale was large enough to be called a small city.
As instructed by sister-in-law, Seo Jukyeong purchased the necessary goods from the main building.
“Thank you! Welcome again, young master!”
The shopkeeper greeted him with a noticeably brighter voice than before.
The change was likely due to the village’s atmosphere, which had grown a little more lively after Cheonma’s death.
Nonetheless, Seo Jukyeong felt a strange dissatisfaction with that unnaturally intense cheerfulness as he left the shop.
“Before we go, let’s have a simple meal here.”
“Yes, I will guide you.”
Although the business was finished, hunger had already set in.
More importantly, returning to the main building halfway up Kunlun Mountain would take considerable time.
Seo Jukyeong therefore headed toward the nearby inn.
But then…
“Huh? What’s going on?”
A scene suddenly visible to Seo Jukyeong and the surrounding people.
A group of people had gathered densely along the street.
Anyone could tell something had happened.
“Let’s go check.”
“Yes, young master.”
Elsewhere it might not matter, but this area around Kunlun Mountain in Qinghai belonged to Kunlun Sect’s direct jurisdiction.
Any incident here was handled by Kunlun Sect, so the martial artists who had come out with Seo Jukyeong moved the crowd aside and approached the scene.
And right after that, the sight that met their eyes.
That…
“Cluck…”
“Damn it! You filthy bastard! Do you know who we are to pull such a stunt?”
Two men and one female martial artist lying on the ground, venting their fury.
Clearly, the two men and the woman were Kunlun Sect martial artists.
In front of them stood a figure holding a sword stuck point-first into the ground, face completely hidden behind black gauze.
Clinging tightly to her side was a young girl.
“What in the world is this?”
It was obvious a fierce duel had just taken place.
Seo Jukyeong immediately stepped forward to investigate.
At the same time, his escorts surrounded the woman in black gauze, who looked suspicious.
“Y-Young Master?”
“What happened? What’s going on here?”
“Th-That…”
“We were trying to investigate that unorthodox woman, but this happened…”
“Unorthodox?”
The mere word made everyone frown.
So Seo Jukyeong and his escorts immediately turned their vigilance toward the woman with the black gauze.
“Who are you?”
“What are you doing in this land?”
The escorts automatically took combat stances, anger rising.
To that, the woman said nothing more and drew her sword from its sheath.
At that moment…
“Wait! Don’t do that, sister! And you too, uncle! We’re not bad people!”
The next instant, the girl stepped between them, blocking the path and separating herself from the woman in black gauze.
Her face, now clearly visible, left Seo Jukyeong momentarily stunned.
The girl appeared slightly younger than him, yet her beauty surpassed any girl Seo Jukyeong had ever seen.
That instinctive admiration lasted only a moment.
Seo Jukyeong soon asked her in a cold voice, the girl who seemed to be the disciple of the unorthodox martial artist before him.
“What nonsense is this? Do you think such excuses will work when you attacked Kunlun Sect martial artists on Kunlun land?”
“Those people started the trouble! Even though sister and I refused, they kept approaching us and then threw the first punch, which is why this happened!”
“What?”
Seo Jukyeong turned to the fallen Kunlun Sect martial artists.
They frowned and raised their voices.
“D-Don’t lie! We have never done such a thing!”
“We were only trying to conduct a simple investigation! You attacked first without reason!”
“Young Master, surely you don’t believe the words of those filthy unorthodox fellows!”
“We were just out shopping! The uncle and auntie started the fight by touching!”
“You little brat…”
The girl and the Kunlun martial artists each claiming the other was at fault.
While listening to the conflicting stories, Seo Jukyeong had no choice but to think.
In normal circumstances, it would naturally be right to listen to the accounts of martial artists from the same sect and from Kunlun land.
Yet an unorthodox martial artist causing a commotion in broad daylight, especially right in front of Kunlun Sect’s main building, was hard to accept in any way.
So the only thing that could be confirmed here was one thing.
“Hey, I heard you approached these people to investigate them. What exactly were you trying to find out?”
“Th-That…”
“So… because they seemed suspicious. Walking around in broad daylight with a face covered by black gauze is strange, isn’t it? And the martial arts they gave off felt off…”
“You didn’t approach them to a dangerous place or do anything that could be dangerous?”
“Th-That’s not the case…”
“We are simply fulfilling our duties as disciples of Kunlun…”
“Hmm…”
The more they spoke, the more excuses they seemed to be reaching for.
Despite his youth, Seo Jukyeong’s sense of the situation was sharp.
His heart automatically leaned toward the girl blocking his path.
At that moment…
“It seems the story from that side is correct.”
“What?”
“Those three are among the worst even among the fujigisu. I heard the responsible instructor has been troubled because of them… Still, it’s hard to believe they were properly investigating.”
“Hmm…”
The escort subtly offering information about the three.
Seo Jukyeong could roughly piece together what had happened, yet he knew he could not openly side with the unorthodox martial artists he was seeing for the first time.
If he bowed his head or admitted fault in front of many witnesses, it would damage the sect’s reputation.
It was regrettable for them, but here he had to maintain his dignity first and handle the matter quietly later.
“In any case, whether the reason is right or wrong, we cannot simply let unorthodox martial artists cause a commotion here. We need to investigate the details, so the two of you will come with us for a while.”
With that, he took them to a quiet spot, intending to apologize and release them while projecting dignity.
But…
“I won’t go! We did nothing wrong! We’re not going to jail!”
“Ah… not jail, just for a short investigation…”
*CLANG!*
“Ah! A bit…”
The girl speaking firmly, and the woman in black gauze immediately drawing her sword in response.
Seo Jukyeong felt a headache as he belatedly realized these two had strong stubbornness and no sense of the situation.