Departing Once More (4)
The condition of my body was less than ideal. My lower back in particular felt stiff and sore. After spending the night in the comfortable residence provided by the Namgung Clan, adjusting to the comparatively spartan environment of an inn must have taken its toll.
I rubbed at my waist as I descended the stairs to the first floor. Whether everyone had already left or was still lost in a hazy stupor, the ground floor was unexpectedly quiet. The waiter was sweeping the floor, which was littered with the remnants of last night’s revelry. I approached him.
“One order of dumplings, please.”
The waiter quietly set his broom aside and headed toward the kitchen. I took a seat at an empty table, planning to have a light breakfast and then walk until evening. That was when I sensed someone approaching me from behind.
There were four of them. One woman and three men. I didn’t need to turn around or ask to know who they were.
“Geomang. You’re up early.”
It was Jegal Soyeon. She no longer seemed to be hiding her affiliation with the Jegal Clan, as she covered the lower half of her face with their signature feather fan.
“We just came down ourselves.”
What a brazen lie. I hadn’t heard any footsteps on the stairs. She must have been waiting on the first floor the entire time. This was a woman prepared to do anything to achieve her goals. While this behavior was hardly normal, I wondered what exactly she was after this time.
Even though there were empty seats beside me, she deliberately sat down directly across from me and spoke with a smile.
“Would you mind if we joined you?”
She was already sitting. What was the point of asking now?
“Wouldn’t it be better for you and your companions to take one of the other empty tables?”
“I spend every day with my companions. I think forming a new connection with someone like you, Geomang, would be far more interesting.”
Was that truly her only intention? What possible benefit could she gain from a relationship with me? It was difficult to read her true motives.
“I see.”
If I firmly told her to leave me alone, she probably wouldn’t back off gracefully. And refusing too strongly might drag me into some unnecessary and complicated mess with her group, so I kept quiet.
By the time the waiter brought my dumplings, I deliberately avoided looking at Jegal Soyeon. Without showing her even the slightest interest, I finished my simple meal and prepared to leave. When I slightly lifted my head, I noticed she was still watching me while pretending not to.
This situation had become rather tangled.
If possible, I had wanted to build a good relationship with a direct descendant of the Jegal Clan before parting ways. A connection with them would only be beneficial in the murim, never a detriment. Unfortunately, it seemed that wouldn’t be possible now.
Namgung Jinhak, the young master, had been right. She was dangerous. I needed to be careful.
She was like a flower that hid poison within. The moment you drew close, she would coil around you like a snake and pierce you with her thorns. Even a fool could see it.
I had become part of her goal—or at least part of the process to achieve it. And she was doing all of this to bend me to her will.
“Geomang. Are you traveling alone?”
Just as I was about to make my exit, she spoke first, slowly setting the stage for whatever she planned to say next. It filled me with unease.
I wanted to claim I had companions, but anyone could see I was alone. With no choice, I nodded.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then… would you like to travel with us to Shaolin?”
She finally revealed her true intention in a subtle voice.
What did she hope to gain by traveling with me? I wasn’t sure exactly, but the thought of getting entangled with her gave me a strong, ominous feeling—like I would end up shackled by something unpleasant.
To cut her off decisively, I looked her straight in the eyes and said,
“I’m sorry, but I prefer traveling alone.”
With that, I slowly rose from my seat. I was just about to leave the inn when Jegal Soyeon, who had been watching me with a gentle smile, suddenly followed and leaned in close to my face.
“…May I ask you just one thing?”
What was she going to ask now? All her previous questions had been walking a very fine line, so I warned her.
“…Only if you believe it won’t be rude to either of us.”
After a brief moment of hesitation, Jegal Soyeon opened her mouth without reservation.
“…I sincerely apologize for all the large and small discourtesies I have shown you until now. I usually only speak in formal settings with my father and brother, so I was rather ignorant about how to approach a conversation in a place like this.”
She placed a hand over her heart and bowed at the waist, clearly expressing her genuine apology. Then she raised her head and asked,
“Originally, I wanted to spend about a week traveling together to build trust before bringing this up. But since you seem averse to traveling with us, I will be direct. How would you feel about joining the Jegal Clan instead of the Changgung Sword Squad?”
Her eyes were earnest. Where had I seen eyes like that before? Ah, yes. The righteous murim warriors who had once aimed for my throat had looked at me with those same eyes. The eyes of people who pursued a single goal with absolute focus.
Most likely, everything she said was true. Lying at the very last moment was a tactic only amateurs used.
Her proposal to bring me into the Jegal Clan was sincere. She had planned it in detail, and when things didn’t go as expected, she chose a secondary path. Still wearing that same expression, she pointed at herself and said to me,
“Both the clan head and my brother will welcome you. If you come to the Jegal Clan, we will grant you anything you desire.”
But it was an impossible offer. Most of what I could gain from the Jegal Clan were things I would eventually obtain on my own anyway. Above all else, there was Namgung Seha to consider. The connection I had with her was something that could not be replaced.
Seeing how obsessively she clung to her goals, I was pondering how best to refuse when a sense of dissonance struck me.
Brother…?
The reason I had never heard the name Jegal Soyeon before. The reason I felt this strange disconnect. I finally understood why.
The man who would become the young master and eventually the clan head of the Jegal Clan in the future I remembered—Jegal Jihan—had no siblings whatsoever. In other words, there should not exist any other martial artist of the Jegal surname around the age of twenty in this murim besides Jegal Jihan.
Had our regression affected things? No, that couldn’t be. Jegal Soyeon had been born long before our regression—before we were even born. If she had died because of our influence, that would be one thing, but for her to be alive was impossible.
Among countless possibilities, if you eliminated the impossible ones, even the most absurd remaining option had to be the truth. That saying was correct. Therefore, I accepted it.
Jegal Soyeon had existed in my previous life and had died for some unknown reason. She had died at least before I entered the murim at the age of twenty—perhaps even much earlier, given that even Namgung Seha seemed unaware of her.
But was that even possible?
The Jegal Clan was a prestigious family that stood at the pinnacle of the world through their mastery of formations, divination, and mechanical devices. In terms of defense, they might even surpass the Namgung Clan. Of course, a Transcendent Realm master on the level of the Ten Venerables could probably break through. With a bit of time, they could tear apart any formation-mediated space with their Geomgang.
But if that were the case… it would have been talked about for years.
First of all, although Jegal Soyeon had a peculiar personality, she didn’t seem to have much presence inside or outside the clan. Yet her earlier mention of her brother suggested she was relatively close to her family. That meant the answer was that she had been killed outside the clan—when she had few companions.
“Right.”
Just like in the current situation.
While countless people participated in the Yongbongjihoe, most renowned murim figures did not attend, with the exception of Bulgwang Daesa, the abbot of Shaolin Temple, and the Wulin Alliance leader, Jeolgeomgong. Even the rising stars of the Nine Great Schools or the Five Great Clans tended to arrive alone or in small groups rather than with large entourages. This was because the journey to Shaolin itself was considered the true beginning of the Yongbongjihoe by many, and also to prevent the event from appearing too overtly as a gathering of the major factions.
In other words, this was almost the only time when the young elites of the Nine Schools and Five Clans traveled the murim alone. If Jegal Soyeon had been killed, the chances were highest that it happened during this period.
“Lady Jegal Soyeon.”
What should I do? I had no idea how strong the person—or people—who had killed her were. They might even be Super Peak masters or opponents close to that level. Against such foes, even I would be in danger.
But could I simply turn a blind eye?
It wasn’t as if I had formed a close bond with her. I didn’t even hold any particular goodwill toward her. However, I knew she was going to die. It might not happen this time. Perhaps she would die of illness or in an accident instead. But if, on the day the Yongbongjihoe officially began, her seat remained empty—could I simply let it pass?
“I will think about your proposal while we travel together.”
Hadn’t I regretted it? Pushing those who should have lived toward death. Hadn’t I sworn an oath? That I would never repeat such regrets again.
Yes. My answer was—no. It wasn’t.