Chapter 133
Translator: penny
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: Rumors of the Sword Phoenix's Return
The rumor that the Sword Phoenix had returned to the Murim Alliance spread like wildfire.
It moved so fast that it reached Cheon Woojin's ears on his very first day reporting for duty at the Alliance.
Cheon Woojin, who had easily passed the Blue Dragon Examination for recruiting regular warriors into the Murim Alliance.
The task assigned to him when he showed up the next day was warehouse guard duty.
It wasn't some critically important post in the Alliance—just standing watch in front of a small storage shed in the Blue Dragon Hall.
He worked in pairs.
The senior warrior assigned alongside Cheon Woojin, looking bored, struck up a conversation first.
"Hey, what'd you do before ending up here?"
"Me, sir?"
"Yeah, you idiot. Who else is here besides you? You think I'm chatting with ghosts or something?"
The tone was rude, but given the senior's age—somewhere past forty—Cheon Woojin nodded along quickly.
He'd grown used to such speech thanks to Mok Jimyeong, after all.
"Hm... I was working as a bodyguard."
He couldn't quite bring himself to say he'd just been rolling around as some guy's lackey, so "bodyguard" was the best he could manage.
At Cheon Woojin's words, the senior warrior's eyes lit up.
"Oh, a bodyguard? For who?"
"Just escorting the young master from some mid-tier family."
It wasn't entirely a lie.
Mok Jimyeong was a young master of the Mok Family Clan, after all.
"Huh. How much did they pay?"
"Five taels of silver as salary."
"What? That's better than here! So why'd you quit?"
He hadn't quit.
Even after joining the Murim Alliance, it was all at Mok Jimyeong's command.
They'd agreed he'd keep receiving his salary as before.
But he couldn't spill all that, so Cheon Woojin tossed out a vague, plausible excuse.
"Figured the Murim Alliance had to be better than trailing after some immature young master all day."
He even slipped in a little backtalk about Mok Jimyeong for good measure.
The senior warrior clicked his tongue sympathetically at the story.
"Tsk tsk. You think the Alliance is any different? It's all about the money in the end."
No.
To Cheon Woojin, there was something more important than money.
Martial prowess.
Why was he stuck doing grunt work like this?
It was all because he was weaker than Mok Jimyeong.
If I'd been stronger than my lord, I wouldn't be wasting my time here...
Come to think of it, if that had been the case, he might never have gotten tangled up with Mok Jimyeong in the first place.
As Cheon Woojin grumbled inwardly, the senior warrior grinned.
"Still, you're pretty lucky."
"Why's that, sir?"
Like he was about to share a hot secret, the senior stepped closer.
Lowering his voice, he whispered.
"You know who the Sword Phoenix is, right? The Sword Phoenix of the Five Dragons and Five Phoenixes. Word is, she's coming back to the Alliance soon."
Cheon Woojin had braced for some earth-shattering intel, only to freeze in surprise at the actual content.
He quickly schooled his expression and replied.
"...Is that so?"
"Tsk tsk. You have no idea what a stroke of luck that is. If you'd kept babysitting that immature young master, you think you'd ever get to lay eyes on someone like the Sword Phoenix in your lifetime?"
Not once in a lifetime—he saw her every single day.
And he'd see her again tonight when he got back.
A sudden question occurred to Cheon Woojin.
"But sir, aren't there already two other phoenixes in the Alliance? Why's her return such good luck?"
The senior shook his head at the obvious question.
Clicking his tongue again.
"The Spear Phoenix and Red Phoenix are Alliance members, sure. But you think grunts like us could ever even talk to them?"
"What do you mean?"
"You really know jack about the Alliance, huh? Let me break it down. First off, the Spear Phoenix in Blue Dragon Squad—she's so arrogant, she won't even mix words with the likes of us. Plus, she's always got that Earth Dragon trailing her, so it's hard to even get a look."
The senior glanced around to make sure the coast was clear.
Once confirmed, he continued.
"And the Red Phoenix? They say she's always holed up training her martial arts, so unless you're on White Tiger Hall duty, good luck catching a glimpse. Even then, it's basically impossible."
"So what's different about the Sword Phoenix?"
"Totally different. Way different. You know regular warriors like us run into the Vermilion Bird Squad the most, right?"
That much, he knew.
The warrior who'd assigned him here had come from Vermilion Bird Squad, even.
"For your info, the Sword Phoenix leads Vermilion Bird Squad. And unlike the other phoenixes, she's kind to everyone. Personally, I think she's prettier than the rest too..."
And so, throughout his entire first shift, Cheon Woojin had to endure nonstop praise for Moyong Hui.
"...That's what happened, my lord."
"I see."
Cheon Woojin hadn't forgotten the role I'd assigned him—he came back with intel on his very first day.
"Isn't it weird? We've only been in Jeongju for three days, and rumors about Lady Moyong are already everywhere... And she hasn't even entered the Alliance yet."
"It is odd. I never got the sense Nangong Sua was arrogant, though."
As I nodded absently, he scowled.
"That's probably because you were introduced as Lady Moyong's lover. I hear the Spear Phoenix is close with her. But that's not the point. Doesn't the speed of these rumors strike you as suspicious?"
"What about it? Nangong Chan, Nangong Sua, and Peng Deokjo already visited two days ago."
Moyong Hui's movements had been known since the day we arrived in Jeongju.
I'd had no intention of keeping it secret.
But Cheon Woojin wouldn't back down.
"Those three were already friends with Lady Moyong, weren't they? Same Five Dragons and Five Phoenixes, after all."
"And?"
"But the rumors reaching regular warriors guarding warehouses? That's fishy. It feels like someone spread them on purpose."
In other words, Cheon Woojin was wary of whoever was behind the rumors.
But I couldn't have cared less.
The rumors he mentioned could be the Alliance Leader deliberately leaking them to recommend me, or idle chatter from our drinking buddies two days back.
Or maybe someone who'd spotted me wandering Jeongju with Moyong Hui yesterday or today.
But who cares?
It was all going to come out eventually.
Nothing worth hiding there.
The only thing I had to keep secret here was one thing.
Just don't let word of my Shadow Gate Sect ties get out.
That could land me branded a public enemy if luck soured.
Anything else? Rumors could fly all they wanted—no skin off my back.
"Drop it. So what if someone spread it? It's not like they made it up."
"My lord, this isn't something to brush off lightly. Fine if it's coincidence, but if it's some scheme... you could end up in real trouble."
I knew what he was worried about.
I told him about that nasty parting with Nangong Chan over drinks.
The guy might hold a grudge and pull some strings.
Most suspicious suspect right now, too.
But that didn't matter either.
Me, Mok Jimyeong.
The man who'd defied the world itself.
I was confident I could smash any half-baked trap head-on.
I waved Cheon Woojin off dismissively.
"If you're that worried, look into it yourself. That's why I got you in there. Anyway, good work today."
"...Understood."
The day after Cheon Woojin's first shift.
He pulled me aside again after work.
"My lord, rumors about you are spreading now too."
"Oh yeah? What're they saying?"
"Some no-name brat from nowhere, coasting on his looks to seduce the Sword Phoenix..."
Even as he spoke, Cheon Woojin eyed me warily, like he feared I'd snap.
But I was in a good mood, actually.
"See? Gotta admit, I do have the face for it."
Getting called handsome always hit different.
Especially after nearly thirty years with a burned-up mug.
"...My lord, this isn't the time to be pleased. I'm thinking it's that Sword Dragon guy."
Yeah, probably.
Nangong Chan was the only one who'd met my face and might hold a grudge.
Four days since we'd arrived in Jeongju.
The guy called Earth Dragon, Zhuge Wei, hadn't shown up once.
The other three from before hadn't visited since that day either.
Which let me enjoy some cozy alone time with Moyong Hui these past few days.
Once I start at the Alliance, won't have time to hang with Hyea anymore.
Those were the days I spent waiting for my own first day at the Murim Alliance, passing time with Moyong Hui.
Meanwhile, the intel Cheon Woojin brought kept updating daily.
"Grunts are resenting you, my lord. They say you've sullied their idol, Lady Moyong..."
"Your family and name are out, my lord. No one knows where the Mok Family Clan is, but everyone knows the name Mok Jimyeong now."
"More and more people badmouthing you, my lord. Word is you pulled strings with Lady Moyong to join the Alliance despite zero skills."
By the time there was no one left in the Murim Alliance who didn't know my name.
Finally, Mok Jimyeong—me—headed in for my first day on the job.