The Fragrance of the Sword
Sword fragrance? Baek Cheong momentarily pushed aside the plans she had been rolling around in her head. Trying to fleece the New Spring Exchange Meeting while sitting still wasn't yielding any answers. Meanwhile, inside the pavilion of the Sect Leader’s Peak, the order of greetings was proceeding quietly. First, the Nascent Soul-stage powers from other continents rose from their seats to pay their respects. Next, the turn of the dignitaries from the prestigious sects of the Eastern Continent passed by. The Sect Leader sent a polite, consistent reply to every faction, though the atmosphere with which he treated each one was subtly different.
Finally, the turn of the Yeonha Baek Clan arrived.
"Cheong-ah."
Her uncle sent a signal with a chin gesture and a glance. Baek Cheong answered with a small nod and rose from her seat together with him. Her uncle, having straightened his robes, led her step by step toward the Sect Leader. As they moved, the gazes cast from other factions clung to her skin. She could guess how the fact that the Yeonha Baek Clan was seated further inward than other families must look to the guests.
'They’ll handle it all themselves, I suppose.'
The flow of such gatherings was bound to be resolved among the adults. All she had to do was follow quietly and act demurely.
When they stood before the Sect Leader, her uncle clasped his hands together and performed a respectful bow.
"Baek Muyeong of the Yeonha Baek Clan offers his New Year’s greetings to the Sect Leader upon visiting the main sect."
"Since the Clan Commissioner has personally made the journey to the main sect, this sect naturally welcomes you with joy."
The Sect Leader’s voice was soft, contrasting with the aura he exuded. "The Clan Head’s breakthrough to the Golden Core and the 'Ten-Thousand-Year Plan' are both auspicious events that this sect holds in deep regard. I am not a little pleased that we can strengthen our ties from the very first day of the New Year."
"You are too kind, Sect Leader."
Her uncle bowed his head again, respectfully accepting the Sect Leader’s well-wishes. The Sect Leader nodded lightly in response and then naturally shifted his gaze toward Baek Cheong. He merely observed her quietly with eyes filled with intrigue, while the gaze of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator lingered on her for a moment.
Baek Cheong maintained a composed appearance, keeping her hands neatly clasped. Inside, however, she steeled herself for any contingency. 'Looking deep into the inner self is something only the Sword Venerable can do.'
The Sect Leader nodded slightly and withdrew his gaze. Just before he did, a faint sigh lingered on his lips for a moment before vanishing.
"So, you are Baek Cheong."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"I heard you are the child whom the Sword Venerable personally chose and took in."
"That is correct."
Baek Cheong answered respectfully, her hands still clasped. The Sect Leader lifted his cup slightly to his lips, then set it back down.
"I had hoped that even a small connection might be forged with this sect..."
The shoulders of her uncle, standing beside her, stiffened slightly. Baek Cheong also held her breath, waiting for the Sect Leader’s next words. 'A connection, huh.' If the leader of a Great Sect spoke of a "connection" regarding her, the meaning was not light. However, the Sect Leader immediately added his next words, taking a step back.
"But since the Sword Venerable has already marked and taken you in early on, it would be lacking in propriety for this sect to harbor further greed."
Her uncle clasped his hands twice and bowed his head deeply, respectfully accepting the Sect Leader’s concession. Baek Cheong bowed her head once more beside him. There was no room for her to add a separate reply here.
'It’s a relief he can’t see through me.'
A sense of relief filled her small chest, but she didn't show it in the slightest on the outside. Even if he did see through her, it would only complicate the situation. The Sect Leader paused for a moment before continuing.
"Our sect’s New Spring Exchange Meeting will be held over the next few days."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"There are quite a few places prepared for the young ones, so look around and enjoy yourselves to your heart's content."
"Thank you, Sect Leader."
A warm affection was embedded in the Sect Leader’s tone. Baek Cheong bowed her head respectfully with her hands neatly clasped. Even if she was usually a handful, she had enough sense to read the room. Since she was in the middle of the pavilion on the Sect Leader’s Peak, she had to pretend to be demure and sensible.
'Finally, it’s over.'
Baek Cheong felt relieved as she stuck to her uncle’s side and returned to her seat. Following them, two people from another faction offered their final greetings. The Sect Leader gave a light wave of his hand to guide the guests back to their seats. The pavilion grew quieter as the event shifted into the main banquet. Maidservants filled the cups and brought new tables for each seat. As the Sect Leader rose from his seat, the guests quietly lifted their cups.
"It is quite a joy for this old man that so many dignitaries have added their presence to this sect from the very first day of the New Year."
The Sect Leader’s cup was raised high.
"Since the ties forged here will firmly support this sect’s year, let us all celebrate the New Year together."
The guests lifted their cups in response.
"And so, I would like to add one more word regarding our ties."
The Sect Leader naturally cast his gaze toward one side of the seating area. It was directed toward a family located near the head table. It was none other than the seat of the Yeonha Baek Clan.
"This sect is also deeply moved by the determination of the Yeonha Baek Clan to cultivate their ties with us for ten thousand years to come."
Among the guests from other factions, there were those who gave small nods. "The Clan Head’s breakthrough to the Golden Core and the Yeonha Baek Clan’s 'Ten-Thousand-Year Plan' are auspicious events worthy of being engraved once more in this place; how about you all lift your cups with this old man to celebrate?"
The guests seated in the pavilion all lifted their cups at once. Even the people from the Nascent Soul-stage families who had come from other continents lifted their cups with faint smiles. After the announcement of the Ten-Thousand-Year Plan, the Sect Leader had personally defended their ties in front of the various guests. The other guests looked toward the Yeonha Baek Clan one by one with expressions of surprise.
Baek Cheong maintained a neat appearance in her seat, observing her uncle’s face out of the corner of her eye. Her uncle was lifting his cup and responding to the people. 'The effect of the Ten-Thousand-Year Plan is no small thing.' Baek Cheong was surprised, as the aftermath was greater than she had thought, but she didn't show it. To her, her father’s announcement that he would continue the ties for ten thousand years had just seemed like a grand boast made by the main family, but only here at the Biun Sect’s banquet could she gauge how heavily the external factions were taking it.
The Sect Leader brought his cup to his lips slightly, set it back down, and continued.
"I would also like to offer words of praise to the pillars of strength that this sect proudly harbors."
The Sect Leader shifted his gaze toward where the true inherited disciples were seated.
"First, Wang Sam has knocked on the door of the Golden Core within the span of a year, which is a proud event for this sect."
Wang Sam rose slightly from his seat and bowed his head respectfully toward the Sect Leader. Following this, the Sect Leader pointed out the true inherited disciples one by one, offering short words of praise. While the two or three disciples beside Wang Sam rose in turn to bow their heads, the Sect Leader’s gaze lingered for a moment on one empty seat before drifting past.
"Mongyo is away from her post due to sect business, but she is a pillar of strength in whom this old man places deep trust."
Among the guests, there were those who nodded. "Baek Gyu is a child among this sect’s true inherited disciples who is worth looking at for the path to the Nascent Soul in the near future."
A small stir went through the pavilion. "He lacks nothing to be called a 'Nascent Soul talent,' and I believe he will fill a pillar of this sect in the not-too-distant future."
For the Sect Leader to personally add the evaluation of "Nascent Soul talent" to a true inherited disciple at the mid-stage of Core Formation was not something to be taken lightly. Her eldest brother rose from his seat and bowed his head respectfully toward the Sect Leader.
"Jin Wi has also knocked on the door of Core Formation at a young age, so he is a talent who will become a pillar of this sect before long."
Jin Wi also rose from his seat and bowed his head respectfully toward the Sect Leader. Baek Cheong carefully observed her eldest brother’s face. The appearance of the kind eldest brother she had seen at the main family was nowhere to be found on his face. He possessed an appearance filled with dignity as a true inherited disciple of the Biun Sect.
Then, the Sect Leader suddenly shifted his gaze to her.
"And this child, Baek Cheong, is a talent whom the Sword Venerable personally marked and took in, despite her young age."
The robes of some guests moved minutely. In places where people were already in the know, the story had already been circulating, so they already knew. But it felt different to have the Sect Leader personally bring it up with his own mouth.
"I, too, had no small amount of doubt when I first encountered such news."
The Sect Leader wore a faint smile. "However, having kept you close today, the questions are being unraveled strand by strand."
"...!"
"With the fragrance of the sword emanating so thickly from the body of such a young child, how could the Sword Venerable not have taken you in?"
People’s gazes naturally shifted toward Baek Cheong. A few guests set down their cups and examined Baek Cheong’s side once more. Baek Cheong, while seated, clasped her hands neatly toward the Sect Leader and bowed her head slightly. Because it was difficult to answer carelessly to such a sudden compliment, she didn't add any words and only expressed her respect politely. Only after she caught the Sect Leader turning his gaze back to his cup did she slowly straighten her body.
'...Sword fragrance?'