Third-Rate Warrior Welcoming an Uninvited Guest (2)
The first to spot the visitor was Hong Saryeon. She had just finished her lessons at the beginner hall and was heading out for personal training when she noticed him.
He wore a high-quality sword at his waist, his clothes far more luxurious than anything she owned, and his handsome face paired with his tall, upright stature gave him an extraordinary air. Even in this unfamiliar place, he showed no signs of unease—his bold demeanor alone marked him as someone out of the ordinary.
Above all, his face seemed vaguely familiar, yet she couldn't place it no matter how hard she tried.
"What brings you here?"
"I'm looking for someone. Is there a young master named Jin Sowoon here?"
Saryeon's eyes narrowed at the unexpected name from the noble young man's lips. He looked a few years older than Sowoon, so how could he know her senior brother without her knowing about it?
"What's this about?"
"It's a personal matter. I'd like to meet him."
"Senior Brother Jin hasn't been around for days already. You'll have to come back another time."
"Hm…"
She had politely turned him away, pointing out his rudeness in not even introducing himself, but the young noble didn't budge.
"Then may I wait here?"
"…What do you think you're doing? This isn't an inn."
Only then did the young noble seem to realize his mistake.
"Ah, my error. I'll pay my respects to the sect leader first and get permission. Would you guide me to him?"
"Hey!"
Saryeon's patience finally snapped, and she let out a sharp yell. At that moment, the young noble smiled faintly.
"I am Namgung San of the Namgung family."
"The Dragon of the New Era?"
Only then did Saryeon remember seeing him at the humiliating scene at the Iron Sword Sect.
"That's right. That's me."
#
The Tae-eul Gate was abuzz because of Namgung San's presence. Gye Cheolyeong was wearing a path to the annex with his constant visits, and even the hall leaders from other divisions dropped by subtly to build rapport.
Especially among the young disciples, the excitement was palpable.
"Namgung San is so cool."
"How great would it be if I were born into a place like the Namgung family."
"If nothing else, just learning the Namgung family's Spear Palace Dance-Free Sword Technique would be amazing. They say they select disciples very carefully there, right?"
In any case, Sowoon had no idea why this man had come looking for him specifically. He couldn't be connected to Namgung Gipyo—that man's goal from the start was to supplant the main Namgung line and make the collateral branch the family head. Namgung San, practically the next head of the Namgung family, was his sworn enemy.
Was he here to praise Sowoon for what he'd done? The timing was too soon. Even if he knew about it, would the mighty Namgung family send their sole heir—a genius hailed as Anhui Province's greatest prodigy, the Dragon of the New Era—just to meet a nobody warrior from Tae-eul Gate?
No reason made sense. Namgung San's visit hadn't happened in his previous life. When something absent in the past life occurred in this one, it meant something was filling that gap.
Something that existed in the past life but not this one… or vice versa.
After pondering that, a suspicion dawned on him.
"…So that's what it was."
"What're you talking about?"
"Nothing."
"When did you even get chummy with the Namgung family? You go out all the time meeting people, huh?"
"It's not like that."
"Anyway, go see him already. He's been here a whole week, and everyone's getting uncomfortable."
"Got it."
"That's the Daehyeonjeon. The guest is staying in the annex."
"I'll greet the sect leader first. Go tell him I'm here."
"No, you've waited a week already!"
"He waited on his own time. There's no appointment, so I'll stick to my schedule."
"No! What the…! And since when have you been greeting the sect leader every time?!"
"…I've always done it properly. Just go pass the message."
Saryeon grumbled under her breath—If you're going soon anyway, why bother telling me to pass the word…—and headed to the annex.
As she entered the Daehyeonjeon, her father and Hong Moon-gi were discussing sect matters.
"Sect Leader. Disciple Jin Sowoon has returned from his outing."
Both her father and Hong Moon-gi couldn't hide their surprise at his greeting. Their reaction confirmed what Saryeon had said—he really didn't bother with greetings usually.
"Good, you're back safe?"
Hong Moon-gi recovered first, responding with a kindly smile. Jin Taesan, however, still looked stunned.
"Hey, what happened to you? Since when do you come greet the sect leader?"
"Father, talk like that and you're spitting in your own face."
"You little punk…"
Hong Moon-gi chuckled elegantly, unlike the bristling Saryeon.
"You have a guest in the annex. Heard about it?"
"Yes, I have."
"Then go see him."
"That guest isn't one I arranged to meet. I have a few things to say first, so I'll sit for a bit."
This time, even Hong Moon-gi looked shocked alongside Jin Taesan.
"C-Can't I at least have some tea?"
"Tea too? The kid's waiting—it's Namgung San."
"Father, why act like the Namgung family outranks the sect leader so much you can't even report before meeting them? Sometimes you seem more Namgung than Tae-eul."
"Y-You… punk!"
"Heh, Taesan, sorry, but could you prepare some tea? It'll be nice to share a cup with Sowoon after so long."
"Sigh."
Jin Taesan prepared the tea with practiced ease, and soon a steaming cup sat before Sowoon. He skipped the unnecessary parts and reported rescuing Wang Soso.
"…Haha, so you chased after those who kidnapped the child and saved her."
"Yes. But in the process, I noticed she seemed ill, so I taught her the Tae-eul Heart Technique. I apologize for not getting permission first."
"It's fine. Martial arts exist to benefit people. If basic techniques could save her, you did exactly what you should have."
Hong Moon-gi and his father assumed it was just rescuing a woman from human traffickers, but Sowoon phrased it that way to prevent misunderstandings if Wang Geumsan showed up later.
"But why is Namgung San's heir looking for you? He's been hogging our best room for a week, eating three meals a day—it's been a headache."
"Who knows. Maybe he wants to learn a move or two from me?"
"What?"
His father's crumpled face was always amusing.
"I did beat Seong Mohyeon of the Iron Sword Sect, didn't I? And took their prized sword too. Wouldn't the Namgung heir want a lesson from someone like that?"
"Argh! You punk, if you're gonna spout nonsense, get out!"
"Yes, Sect Leader. This disciple will go greet the guest now."
#
Namgung San felt a strange emotion. He hadn't even seen or spoken to the man yet, but anger surged within him. What was odder was how abruptly it had arisen.
He hadn't felt anger when he learned of the man's absence—no prior agreement had been made.
He'd spent seven days in a shabby lodging with meager meals, but no anger. He'd chosen to wait, after all, and couldn't complain about Tae-eul Gate's hospitality.
But the moment he heard Jin Sowoon had returned… rage boiled up from the depths of his chest.
This was a first for him, leaving him flustered.
"What kind of person is Young Master Jin Sowoon?"
The fidgety girl passing the message caught his eye. Not comparable to him, but burdened with her sect's future, she piqued his interest a bit.
"Senior brother? Hard to say. He's so unpredictable."
She frowned, as if discussing something distasteful, but her face gradually lit up as she spoke.
"He does a lot of unexpected things, but it doesn't seem like he's just doing whatever he wants. Anyway, he really looks out for his junior sect members. He's rude, but he dotes on the elders terribly. He skips greetings himself but flips out if anyone disrespects them."
"Sounds reliable."
"Huh? What? I just told you."
"Did you?"
The nameless girl stuck out her tongue and made a sour face.
"I heard you were looking for me."
A young man entered the annex. A plain Cheonggang Sword at his waist. Worn but cleanly laundered uniform. Neatly tied-back long hair. Nothing remarkable.
Strange.
Yet seeing him made Namgung San's emotions boil like molten iron.
"You're Jin Sowoon?"
"You came without knowing what I look like?"
The nameless girl glanced between them, trying to figure out the situation.
"I've only heard stories about you."
"Weren't you there… that day?"
"That day?"
"At the Iron Sword Sect."
Come to think of it, he vaguely recalled seeing this boy and the girl there when the Iron Sword Sect lost their prized sword.
"Ah! Right. Now that you mention it, yes."
"…Do you have memory problems?"
Was it that Jin Sowoon himself stirred rejection from the depths of his heart? Even seemingly idle words sparked emotional turmoil.
"No. I just don't pay attention to things that don't interest me."
"…So why are you here for me?"
Where to start? That the item Jin Sowoon had was originally his? Or that Jin Sowoon had snatched it midway?
Namgung San turned to the nameless girl.
"Could you give us the room?"
"Ah… yes. Sure."
"What did you just say?"
Jin Sowoon's brows furrowed deeply. For a moment, Namgung San wondered if he'd erred. But he hadn't.
"I asked you to leave because it's important business with him."
"'Give us the room' is an order. Not a request."
"…Uh, um, senior brother. Why? It's fine. Talk. I'll head out."
The girl left in a fluster instead. Jin Sowoon stared blankly at her retreating back.
"What did I do wrong?"
"Does the Dragon of the New Era not know the difference between 'give us the room' and 'could you give us the room'?"
"…"
Only then did Namgung San realize the source of all this displeasure, anger, irritation, fury.
"You're… quite arrogant."
It was the same feeling he'd gotten from everyone else at Tae-eul Gate: adoration, awe, fear, respect, reverence, praise.
Not a speck from Jin Sowoon. Instead, contempt, disdain, scorn, insult—emotions Namgung San had never felt in his life.
"Strange. Since when was the Namgung family the imperial house?"
"…"
Namgung San decided to drop it. Continuing might make him lose his temper.
"You probably don't know why I came to see you."
For some reason, he could understand Jin Sowoon's attitude. Some people showed hostility to great figures out of their own insignificance. They feared the unknown even more.
Catering to such people was a mark of true strength.
"The reason I'm here is…"
"Because of the Academy Entry Token, right?"
"!!!"
#
What reason would Namgung San—who'd shown zero interest in Tae-eul Gate during the Iron Sword Sect incident—have to visit now?
Most of the elixirs and manuals I'd acquired were unknown to others, so among my gains, the only things someone might recognize were the Steel Iron Body Pill and the Academy Entry Token.
The Namgung heir wouldn't come for the pill, so it had to be the token.
His attitude was brazen enough. Clearly here to ask a favor, yet no such humility. He acted like I'd hand it over just because he asked.
"That was originally mine."
His tone was as casual as demanding repayment of a loan.
I had no intention of giving it up anyway, but this made my stomach turn even more.
"The Chief Strategist never said that."
"I requested it first, and that's how it ended up in your hands."
If the Chief Strategist had promised it firmly to Namgung San, he wouldn't be here asking me for it back. He'd just make another one.
So, the Chief Strategist must have figured giving that token to me instead wouldn't matter much.
Conclusion: the token wasn't Namgung San's.
"Strange. If it was so clearly yours, why did the Chief Strategist give it to me? Shouldn't you take it up with him, not me? Or is he too tough to handle, so you came to easy pickings like Tae-eul Gate?"
Namgung San let out a long sigh.
"You're gifted at offending people."
"My words make sense, so if you're offended, that's your problem."
"Of course, I'm not asking for it for free."
"…"
"I've prepared fair compensation. This is a Seven-Colored Jewel. Valuable enough to buy a ninety-nine-room mansion. Take it."
A gem radiating seven colors sparkled brilliantly in his palm. In my memory, it was worth three such mansions.
"I came in the family name's honor without making it public, for Tae-eul Gate and your sake. If the martial world learns you coveted something of the Namgung family, how do you think they'll see you? Or your sect?"
If he went public, things would escalate. The Namgung name would squeeze Tae-eul Gate hard.
And he wasn't demanding it for free—he was offering the jewel. Gratitude might even be in order.
"Keep it."
"…What?"
His thanks slipped out as my honest thought.
"Do whatever you want."
"You think… I won't?"
"Tae-eul Gate isn't some pushover sect. You're underestimating the enemy you just made."
"…You want this to blow up? Can you handle the Namgung family?"
"Even if we can't, you won't get the token."
"…"
"Choose wisely. The Iron Sword Sect acted like you and lost their prized sword."
"…!"
Namgung San's face hardened for the first time.