What's Your Name? Then Why Are You Acting Up?!
Watching the duel unfold, Wun Hyun was privately overcome with marvel.
"…Remarkable."
To an untrained eye, Jeong Ho-yeon appeared driven into a corner by the dazzling display of sword forms, but the truth was anything but.
With nothing more than simple, elementary motions, Ho-yeon was not only dismantling every single one of Jin Hwi's techniques, he was actively parrying the strikes while swatting away superfluous flourishes—correcting the youth's posture in real time.
Yet, from Wun Hyun's perspective, the scene remained utterly baffling.
Internal energy was not the sole metric of martial prowess, of course. But that axiom only held true when the martial artists in question possessed comparable foundations.
Even in a duel where internal energy was mutually suppressed, for a mere third-rate wanderer to thoroughly overwhelm a noble scion who had received decades of systematic instruction and ingested fortunes in precious elixirs… the very premise defied logic.
"Just as the Strategist said, the man possesses a truly bizarre caliber of skill…"
In truth, before ever crossing paths with Ho-yeon, Wun Hyun had first met with Lord Jegal.
"Inspector Wun Hyun of the Murim Alliance greets Strategist Jegal."
"Ah, you have arrived. I trust I am not overworking a busy man?"
"Not at all. I, too, came only because I wished to see if the contents of your letter were true."
A few days prior, while carrying out his duties at the Alliance, Wun Hyun had received a letter from the Strategist.
To Inspector Wun Hyun,
I trust the seasonal winds find you in good health and spirits. Though the bureaucratic affairs of the Alliance weigh heavily, peace remains a delicate thread. In the southern teahouses of late, peculiar rumors stir concerning an unconventional wanderer whose shadow defies the records of our registers...
On the surface, it contained nothing beyond routine, mundane pleasantries. Yet upon a closer examination, oddities began to emerge one after another. Particular characters, when assembled in sequence, formed a coherent, hidden message.
In hindsight, the notion that the grand Strategist of the Murim Alliance would dispatch a personal letter merely to ask after an inspector's health made no sense to begin with.
Indeed.
It was a clandestine cipher sent in strictest confidence.
"…As I noted in the missive, there are two tasks I require of you."
The Strategist had asked two favors of him.
One was to uncover the true identity of Jeong Ho-yeon.
That was the sole reason Wun Hyun had ventured all the way to the Cheonghwa Pavilion in the first place—though he certainly hadn't anticipated a brawl erupting on the spot.
Meanwhile, Jin Hwi was visibly gasping for breath, worn ragged by the relentless exchange of blows. By stark contrast, Jeong Ho-yeon stood just as pristine and unbothered as when they had begun.
To think the gulf in their skill was this vast…
With Jin Hwi's defeat all but sealed, the spoiled young master, utterly incapable of accepting the outcome, broke the rules and channeled his internal energy.
The moment Wun Hyun moved to intervene, Ho-yeon shot him a sharp sidelong glance, silently warning him not to meddle. Ho-yeon then brought the boy down with a single, devastating strike and stepped over to the crumpled figure on the dirt.
Watching him approach, Wun Hyun thought he understood.
Ah. He intends to impart a new lesson to the defeated.
"C-Could he truly be a reclusive master who underwent Return to Youth…?"
What unfolded seconds later, however, cleanly erased every noble thought Wun Hyun had just entertained.
Far from imparting enlightened wisdom, Ho-yeon subjected the boy to a merciless, savage thrashing until the wooden sword shattered into splinters. Watching the young master writhe and shriek in agony made even Wun Hyun feel dizzy from second-hand shock.
Worse yet, once the wooden sword broke, Ho-yeon apparently felt unsatisfied and began laying into him with bare fists.
After staring in dumbfounded paralysis, Wun Hyun realized the lunatic was genuinely about to beat the boy to death and lunged forward to grab Ho-yeon's arm.
In that fleeting instant, catching the manic, unhinged gleam on Ho-yeon's flushed face, Wun Hyun arrived at a profound revelation.
Jeong Ho-yeon was neither an esteemed elder who had returned to youth nor a benevolent hidden master.
He was just a total lunatic.
Meanwhile, I was in the middle of some serious soul-searching.
Sigh, I got way too carried away and didn't control my strength. Man, I think I beat this kid worse than I beat Jegal San…
Suddenly, a commotion arose behind me. Several figures came sprinting into the training grounds from outside.
Who the hell were these clowns?
I took a closer look. Ah, they were the lackeys who had been trailing behind this rich brat earlier. They spilled into the courtyard and, to my utter disbelief, drew their swords right at me.
Shring—!
One burly fellow stepped out to the front and bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"To reduce the Young Sect Master to such a state… As disciples of the Shadowless Sect, we will never forgive your heinous villainy!"
Wun Hyun opened his mouth to hold them back, but seeing how utterly frenzied the disciples were, he judged words would be useless and simply shook his head in resignation.
Looks like I've got permission to crack skulls.
The moment I took a single step toward them, their bluster faltered, and the tips of their blades began to tremble. They were clearly greenhorns who hadn't trained for more than a few days. Had they learned nothing from the bloody ground beef lying at my feet?
Strictly speaking, the meathead at the front looked like he had the most solid build among them. But based on my deep expertise in physiognomy, a face like that only needed one solid smack across the chops to see the light.
Was I just fabricating excuses because I wanted an excuse to hit someone?
…Well, teaching him some manners killed two birds with one stone, right? Everybody wins. Besides, his face looked like it would produce a very satisfying thud.
I halted right in front of the meathead and asked casually, "What's your name?"
Caught completely off guard by the abrupt question, he blinked in bewilderment.
"I-I am Yang Ga-bul, disciple of the Shadowless Sect! To continue beating someone after the duel was already over—such vile actions belong only to the Unorthodox Faction—"
Ga-bul?
"Then why the hell are you acting up, dammit!"
SLAP—!
"Gaaahk!"
Thud.
"S-Senior Brother!"
In all my years of living, I had learned that one good slap was worth a hundred lectures. Sure enough, with their head clown laid out cold in the dirt, the rest of the lackeys descended into utter chaos.
The real issue, however, was that this whole mess was getting unnecessarily complicated.
"Sigh. If you guys act like this too, what the hell am I supposed to do with you? Huh?"
"Th-That's, um…"
Since the remaining runts were all cut from the same flimsy cloth, the situation wrapped up in seconds.
"Master!"
From the distance, Jegal So-yeong came running toward me with a bright, sunny smile on her face, calling out my name.
Right then, a brilliant stroke of genius struck me.
A truly magnificent idea to resolve this whole debacle cleanly. Hehehe.
The moment she reached me, I leaned in and whispered urgently in her ear.
"Hey, So-yeong."
"Y-Yes…?!"
"Could you go tattle on these bastards to your father? Consider it a personal favor from your master. Please?"
My strategy was simple.
I would have her tell her father that these hoodlums had assaulted and harassed her. Once they learned of this, how would those two crane-headed fools—one a pathologically doting father and the other an overprotective sister-complex lunatic—react?
Knowing those bird-brains, they might legitimately declare all-out war on the Wudang Sect. Of course, Wudang wouldn't be stupid enough to wage war over a mere secular branch, but the Jegal Clan's fury would ensure my violent outburst was retroactively branded as righteous self-defense to protect their precious daughter.
In other words, I could wash my hands of the whole incident and stroll away scot-free.
For this master plan to work, her cooperation was paramount.
"So-yeong, I'm begging you. You're the only one I can count on right now."
"……"
She dropped her head, sinking into absolute silence.
"…Wait, hey. What's wrong?"
D-Don't tell me she's going to say no? If she refuses, my flawless plan goes straight down the privy…
Contrary to Ho-yeon's spiraling panic, however, So-yeong's head was swirling with an entirely different storm of thoughts.
T-Too close!! W-What am I supposed to say?! J-Just a little longer like this… N-No, wait, that's not it—!
"Your face is burning up. Are you feeling alright?"
Gently, Ho-yeon reached out and placed the back of his hand against her forehead.
"………"
"Whoa, you're scorching hot. Look, if you're not feeling well, once you get better, you can just seriously consider—"
"I-I'll do it…"
"R-Really?! For real?"
Seeing the sheer, unadulterated joy spreading across his face, So-yeong found an unconscious smile blooming on her own lips. A strange, sweet tickle fluttered in her chest.
"I-In exchange… please teach me m-martial arts, Master…"
"…Wait, what? Martial arts?"
"Yes. I want to learn…"
Ho-yeon furrowed his brows in brief contemplation, then nodded as if resolving himself.
"S-Sure. Whatever, I'll teach you! It's not like it's hard."
"Hehe…"
Meanwhile, watching the entire exchange unfold from a few paces away, Wun Hyun could only think one thing.
Good grief, both of them are making utter fools of themselves.
Seven full days and nights passed since that day.
Fortunately, just as I had planned, So-yeong recounted the tale with a healthy dose of dramatic embellishment, and my beating of the scions was cleanly ruled as textbook self-defense.
While the Wudang Sect never issued a formal apology, public sentiment in the region had already swung entirely behind the Jegal Clan, leaving the secular branch with no room to protest. Having dragged their mother sect's reputation through the mud, the Shadowless Sect's standing in Jiangxi was bound to shrivel into obscurity.
None of that political nonsense mattered to me right now, though. The only thing that mattered was the glorious object resting in the palm of my hand.
A whole tael of solid gold.
"Look at that radiant luster… Hehehe."
Did I steal it? What kind of lowlife scoundrel do you take me for? This was personally bestowed upon me by Clan Leader Jegal himself—a generous reward for heroically protecting his precious daughter from harm.
Indeed, sometimes violence truly was the answer to all of life's problems.
Ah, you wonder what I'm doing right now? Well, naturally…
"So-yeong, how can you not even manage that much…?"
"Gasp… I-I'm so sorry!!"
I was currently instructing her in martial arts.
To be honest, when she first asked me to teach her, I panicked a little. I had never taught a soul in my life, and the only instructional methodology I knew was beating someone until their instincts took over.
Still, considering it was her very first time, I put her through basic foundational conditioning—only to be met with sheer bewilderment.
Wasn't being unable to hold a horse stance for even a single breath a little too pathetic? I knew beginners struggled, but I hadn't expected it to be this catastrophic. I thought she would at least manage half an hour, but she collapsed almost immediately.
Yet I couldn't even bring myself to scold her, because the student was so brimming with fiery passion that it became downright burdensome for the teacher.
"…Master, is martial arts always like this? This is so much fun!"
"S-Sure it is. Keep working hard, I'm heading out for a bit."
"Yes! Hehe."
As the hours slipped by and darkness blanketed the skies, Ho-yeon slipped quietly out of the clan estate.
His footsteps finally came to a halt in front of a suspicious, rundown tavern tucked deep in an alleyway—a decrepit establishment so desolate it looked as though even flies would starve to death inside.
"Well now, did you bring the coin?"
"…Of course I did."