The Rumors Spread
The literary examination, scheduled to follow the martial arts test. Those who passed the first round were given roughly seven weeks. Of course, in the murim, what truly mattered was one’s prowess as a warrior. Literature was nothing more than a way to gauge basic cultivation of the mind. The real test would come afterward, in the sparring evaluation. Because of that, the candidate trainees had grown noticeably lax in discipline.
“…What is it, Lady Wei?”
Wei Wonye, the daughter of the Alliance Leader. She carried the duty to be kind and just toward all people, if only to protect her father’s reputation. The instructor had ordered them to focus on their studies until the hour of the Ox, yet the very instructor who gave the command had vanished from his seat for some unknown reason. It was only natural that the candidates grew excited.
“Well, last night, apparently there was quite a commotion at the place where the Jegal clan members are staying!”
“The Jegal clan?”
Any murim inhabitant would know the names of the Nine Great Schools and the Five Great Clans. Wei Wonye, who had been listening out of mere obligation, suddenly perked up.
“Someone actually demanded that Lady Jegal Doyeong show her face! Some young master or other!”
“Kyaaa!”
“And then? What happened next?”
“Unfortunately, after pestering her for quite a while, he was chased away.”
“Aww…”
“But he said he’d come again tomorrow and that he would definitely win Lady Jegal Doyeong’s heart!”
“Whoa…!”
The expectation that a story filled with the Jegal clan’s famed righteousness would unfold had been thoroughly dashed. Wei Wonye, unaccustomed to such conversations, smiled awkwardly. Beside her, Soyeon kept her head bowed low, listening only with her ears.
“Ahh, how wonderful… Lady Jegal Doyeong must be receiving tremendous love!”
“It must be someone who stayed by her side since childhood and only recently grew distant, right?”
“Maybe he saw her by chance on the street and fell in love at first sight.”
“I wonder which young master he is?”
“It seems he revealed his name while being dragged away, but no one heard it clearly. They only caught something like… Ma clan.”
“Ma clan? I can’t think of anyone notable from the Ma clan. What a shame.”
“I heard he was quite tall and handsome. He’ll surely show up again today, won’t he?”
While such idle chatter flowed back and forth, a harsher conversation was taking place in one corner.
“You think Lady Wei’s words aren’t worth listening to, is that it?”
“…”
“Did you believe that hiding among the crowd would make things fine?”
It was a rehash of what had happened a few days ago. Soyeon trembled slightly as she glanced toward the direction of the voice.
“Your very existence is a nuisance, you know? Do you truly have not even a shred of conscience?”
“I already apologized.”
“You said the same thing last time! Does saying sorry fix everything?!”
“Ugh!”
In the end, a slap rang out. Silence fell, and everyone’s eyes turned toward the scene. But most gazes quickly withdrew. After all, the one who had resorted to violence was part of the group that followed Wei Wonye like handmaidens. Most lacked the courage or strength to stop them. And those who could intervene were largely uninterested.
“…!”
“Don’t get involved.”
Soyeon, unable to watch any longer, tried to stand. The one who rebuked her was Wei Wonye herself.
“Lady Jegal doesn’t know anything about this.”
“But…”
“Do you even know that person’s name?”
“…”
“Last time I let it pass because I didn’t know who she was, but aren’t you forgetting which family Lady Jegal belongs to? Do you have any idea how many people are watching your every move?”
Soyeon stared blankly at Wei Wonye, who held her arm. With a tired expression, Wei Wonye released her.
“It seems you think we’re tormenting an innocent person, but don’t misunderstand. We are not that kind of people.”
Not that kind? A whole group ganging up to tear one person down? Doing it openly in front of everyone? After she had just been slapped across the face? No matter how she thought about it, Soyeon couldn’t help but recall the events at the Jegal clan. She closed her eyes and thought of Ok-yeon. What would Ok-yeon do in a situation like this? If she had done something wrong, would Ok-yeon scold her in such a way?
“No…”
Just imagining Ok-yeon treating her like that was unbearable. It was so frightening and terrifying that tears threatened to spill. But Ok-yeon was not the kind of person who would scold anyone in that manner.
“Lady Jegal?!”
Soyeon shot to her feet. She approached the girl who had been silently enduring the abuse. She didn’t have the courage to say anything. Instead, she simply took the girl’s hand—the girl whose eyes looked exactly like hers once had—and ran.
“Huh…?”
The girl who had been quietly taking the blows looked up in surprise. Soyeon ran for a long time, until they reached a place with no people around.
“Are you an idiot? Do you not understand what those words I and the others said mean?”
The girl with the startled expression was far cuter than expected. Her voice wasn’t as low and subdued as before; the two times Soyeon had heard it earlier, it had clearly been deliberately lowered. For some reason, Soyeon no longer found her frightening. Could a girl like this really deserve to be bullied?
“W-what’s your name!”
“What?”
Her cheek was still flushed red from the slap. A pang of pity struck Soyeon. The girl’s expression shifted rapidly—surprise, embarrassment, anger. For the briefest moment, something like sorrow flickered across her face before vanishing.
“Ha… You’re from the Jegal clan, right? So what, you want to drag someone like me around and have a little fun?”
“Pardon…? Um, your name…”
“Ugh, seriously…”
The girl rubbed her swollen cheek and turned to leave. But this time, Soyeon had no intention of letting her go. She grabbed the girl’s hand again.
“Tell me your name!”
“…Why are you so obsessed with that?”
“Just… tell me…”
“Ha… You really must not know who I am. But what those girls are doing to me is wrong.”
“Why…?”
“Because I come from a family that should have disappeared!”
“What?”
“You wouldn’t understand! What it’s like to be treated as someone who shouldn’t even be alive! The Jegal clan? You’ve spent your whole life being revered by others—what could you possibly know? Does your family have a single murim criminal in it?! Born into a family everyone looks up to, you don’t know the first thing about a bottom-feeder’s life like mine!”
It seemed a lot had been building up inside her. Even in the face of Soyeon’s cautious attitude, the girl exploded. Soyeon stood there with her mouth agape. Only then did the girl realize what she had done and clamped her mouth shut. With a hardened expression, she spat out her next words.
“So please, stop talking to me, Lady Jegal. I have no desire to become your plaything.”
"So please, stop talking to me, Lady Jegal."
"I have no desire to become your plaything."
“A murim criminal?”
Ok-yeon fell into thought at Soyeon’s question. It wasn’t a word she particularly liked.
“Usually, it refers to those who cooperate with the Demonic Cult or individuals whose actions deviate from the righteous path to a degree comparable to the Demonic Humans.”
“The Demonic Cult? Then it must be incredibly dangerous…”
“But it’s not always the case.”
“Really…?”
“After all, what is considered ‘righteous’ depends on who defines it. It can never be perfect. There are times when people are framed.”
“So not all of them are bad…?”
“If you insist on putting it that way, yes.”
It sounded as if she were venting her own resentment. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Ok-yeon changed the subject.
“It seems you heard about murim criminals today. Don’t take my words too deeply to heart. In most cases, those labeled as such are people anyone would consider dangerous.”
In truth, Ok-yeon herself had not been designated a murim criminal at the time. Only after she was captured and subjected to harsh interrogation did she receive such treatment. It was only after her death was announced that she began to be called the Heavenly Killing Star and other such titles.
“Manager, the recommended candidates have arrived.”
“Yes, I’ll be right there.”
Ok-yeon told Soyeon to come find her anytime if she had more questions, then moved on. It was a welcome sight to see Soyeon proactively seeking answers to her curiosity like this. For the first few months, she had been wary of everything. Perhaps she was finally beginning to open her heart.
“…”
Thinking of Soyeon brought a pleasant smile to her lips. She arrived at the interview room. Among the talents recommended from various places, there were some unexpected faces.
“She’s here.”
“Wait, she’s still not taking off the face veil even here?”
“Just how tightly is she wrapped up?”
There were quite a lot of people. At a glance, more than ten. How many among them would actually be useful?
“Starting in one quarter-hour, send them in four at a time.”
“Understood, Manager.”
After briefly scanning the crowd, Ok-yeon headed inside. Most of them looked like chaff.
“So far, no one has left a particularly strong impression. Most seem to underestimate us because we’re young. Is there anyone who caught your eye, Manager?”
“The third person who came in was quite tall and handsome.”
“…”
“Ah, the fifth one also had a rather dignified charm.”
“The third one is a young master who failed the civil service exam three times and also failed the Murim Alliance test. There are rumors he frequents the brothels like it’s his dining hall. And the one who recommended him is from the Murim Alliance… really, who would recommend someone like that? The fifth has experience working at several merchant groups, but he has records of being chased out after causing scandals. Are they really underestimating the Eunpa Merchant Group that much?”
“Both of them were quite charming, though.”
“Sigh… I’ll pick them myself if it comes to that. Send in the next group.”
Four people entered at once. A spark of interest flashed in Ok-yeon’s eyes.
“Please introduce yourselves one by one.”
“I am Heo Won. I originally worked for the Eunpa Merchant Group but was unfortunately dismissed. I wish to work here again.”
“Oh… This is the person I’ve been waiting for.”
Jin-pa whispered in a bright voice. If he was someone who had clashed with the previous people in Kaifeng, it was highly likely he had been driven out through unfair treatment. If he was capable of opposing corrupt individuals, he would at least possess some ability. However, his appearance was plain and his clothes shabby. Despite her inner thoughts, Ok-yeon maintained an indifferent attitude.
“How nice for you…”
“Why are you making it so obvious that you’re disappointed? Seriously… As long as he has the ability, that’s enough.”
Jin-pa grumbled. The next person’s self-introduction followed. The face looked familiar, so Ok-yeon searched her memory.
“I am Baek Yeon-hwa. I have no experience working for a merchant group, but I heard you were also looking for escort warriors, so I applied.”
“Your background?”
“Qingcheng.”
“Hiek…”
“Though I am from Qingcheng, I am merely the disciple of a lay disciple. There is no need to feel burdened.”
She was a woman with a rigid demeanor. Ok-yeon finally realized why her face seemed familiar. She was the woman she had encountered right after leaving the Blood Valley. She must have been working at the Wudang branch of the Murim Alliance. As if she had been given advance notice, Jin-pa mentioned that part.
“But weren’t you working for the Murim Alliance? Why have you come to us?”
“Since I was from a small branch, I could not enter the main headquarters.”
Judging from the situation at the time, a significant number of the branch members seemed to follow Yi Cheon-woo. Since Yi Cheon-woo had now been summoned to Kaifeng, those who followed him likely could not join the Alliance and were seeking other employment.
“Doesn’t she give off a good vibe? I don’t know where she came from, but she seems like a gem.”
“She looks cute.”
“…?”
Baek Yeon-hwa had a fierce-looking face, so Jin-pa seemed unable to agree. The aura she gave off was also extremely cold. And the next person—
“I am Jin Ak-pung.”
“…Is that all?”
“Even if I told you my sect, you wouldn’t know it.”
Jin Ak-pung was uncooperative. He kept glancing at Ok-yeon with suspicious eyes. He was probably remembering the courtesan who had lectured him yesterday. Since she was altering her presence through inner energy, he would not think they were the same person. He likely just found it coincidental that both wore face veils.
“Didn’t you come here because you want to work for the Eunpa Merchant Group? You don’t seem very enthusiastic.”
“That’s true. However, you are not yet my superior, are you?”
“What kind of…”
It seemed Jin-pa had already given him a failing grade. After evaluating them for quite some time and sending them out, they continued receiving the other candidates. Then a commotion broke out.
“How dare a mere woman speak to a man like that!”
It was Jin Ak-pung and Baek Yeon-hwa.