An Unwelcome Reunion
The main headquarters of the Martial Alliance in Henan.
Though situated slightly away from the absolute center of the province, it was the most densely populated area.
Even though the Great War between Justice and Evil had ended, the Unorthodox Faction remained robust, and danger still lurked everywhere.
It always did.
For this reason, the Orthodox sects, champions of righteousness and chivalry, established branches of the Martial Alliance in every region. They supported or allied with the local noble clans to protect the common people from the Unorthodox Faction.
In return, they received financial backing from merchant groups under the pretext of maintaining peace and security.
It was a system with many facets.
And at the heart of all these connections...
...stood the main headquarters, the true focal point of the Alliance.
It was the origin and the standard for the entire Martial Alliance.
Alongside the Shaolin Temple of the Nine Great Sects and Cheongwol Gate, it stood as one of the pillars guarding Henan.
"Identification confirmed. You may enter."
The gatekeeper said, handing back the letter of introduction.
*Creeeeak!*
The massive gates groaned open the moment he finished speaking.
We passed through the widening gap.
Once inside, a magnificent sight unfolded before my eyes.
Whoa.
My eyes widened instantly.
This place is massive...
The prefectures surrounding Cheongwol Gate and Yoryeong were large, but this was on an entirely different level.
As expected of the central hub representing the Central Plains, both the sheer population and the overall atmosphere felt completely different.
Even the quality of the buildings is different.
The architecture was refined, and the place exuded the unmistakable aura of a sprawling metropolis.
It wouldn't even look out of place compared to the cities I saw in my past life.
It was a well-planned urban center. I took in the fascinating sights as we slowly made our way forward.
We were still riding in the carriage.
Perhaps because of that, whispers began to drift in.
"That crest..."
"Cheongwol Gate? That's the crest of Cheongwol Gate."
"My word. So the rumors were true?"
The voices filtered through the closed window. My ears perked up.
"What rumors?"
"You know, the one about Cheongwol Gate participating in this year's Yongbong Association."
"What? Cheongwol Gate?"
Hearing their shocked reactions, I let out a quiet sigh. The rumors had spread far and wide. To think they were already talking about it here.
Damn it.
I wondered how it had leaked, but rumors always found a way to slip through the smallest cracks.
As I clicked my tongue in annoyance, another voice spoke up.
"Then, is he inside that carriage too?"
"By 'he'... do you mean?"
"You know who."
"The Young Sword Saint."
I flinched.
My eyes snapped open at the familiar title. At the same time, everyone inside the carriage turned to look at me.
I deliberately avoided their gazes, pretending not to notice.
Son of a...
I never expected them to be gossiping about me here of all places. As I tried to compose myself and hide my embarrassment, the conversation outside continued.
"The Hero of Sichuan?"
Excuse me?
...Where did that ridiculous title come from?
They had tacked on something bizarre to my name.
"Of course. If Cheongwol Gate is participating, he'll surely make an appearance."
"...I heard he even looks down on the famous Seven Great Talents. Will we finally get to see if the rumors are true?"
"Surely that's an exaggeration. The current Seven Great Talents are formidable figures... How could some newcomer suddenly surpass them?"
"Tsk, watch your mouth. A newcomer? He didn't just appear out of nowhere. He is the successor of the Sword Saint himself!"
"Indeed. If he is the successor of the great Hero Yoo, it is entirely possible."
Hearing the crowd's praise, Yoo Chun-gil nodded with an air of immense pride.
"It was such a tragedy when Hero Yoo passed away... Hearing that his successor has appeared makes my heart flutter with anticipation."
"I even heard that all of the Seven Great Talents will be attending this time."
"What? Where did you hear that?"
"Well, I have a few connections in the Beggar Alliance. I have my ways."
"My... All of the Seven Great Talents?"
The man's eyes widened in surprise. Honestly, I was surprised too.
All of the Seven Great Talents are coming?
This was completely unexpected.
The Yongbong Association was a grand festival for the young generation, so it wasn't strange for them to attend, but...
I don't think they've ever all attended at the same time.
Even last year, two of them had skipped it. In fact, since the title of the Seven Great Talents was established, there had never been a single Yongbong Association where all seven were present.
For starters, Cheon Hye-in shouldn't have been able to attend due to the nature of her sect.
But they're all here...
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
This is bad.
With the hype surrounding the attendance of all Seven Great Talents, if I—who was already the center of so much gossip—joined the fray...
Every single eye will be locked onto me.
Even people who wouldn't normally care would focus their attention on me.
I swallowed hard.
I tried to organize my thoughts. What should I do if things turned out this way? As I was pondering this...
Yoo Chun-gil spoke to me in a dry, uninterested voice.
"..."
What an incredibly simple-minded solution.
Unbelievable.
If it were that easy, I wouldn't be worrying in the first place.
If I could just beat everyone up without consequences, why would I bother stressing over this?
As my mind raced, a voice spoke up from beside me.
"Did you say our lodging is the Wichen Inn?"
It was Do-hyeong. Before I could answer, Cheon Hye-in chimed in.
"Yes. It's always been there. It seems we'll be staying there this time as well."
Wichen Inn.
That was the place written on our letter of introduction. It was the designated lodging for the duration of the Yongbong Association.
Apparently, the Alliance had rented out the entire inn to provide rooms for the participants.
So they have a partnership.
Judging by Cheon Hye-in's words, since they used it every time the event was held, it was clearly affiliated with the Martial Alliance.
It was a place closely connected to the Alliance.
It was likely either a major sponsor of the Alliance or an establishment that had solid ties with the higher-ups.
I stole a glance out the window.
The bustling crowds and the low hum of chatter filled the air.
Perhaps because our carriage was moving so slowly, everyone was staring in our direction.
Their eyes were filled with curiosity and anticipation.
The return of Cheongwol Gate was one thing, but I knew exactly why they were looking at us like that.
It's because of me.
The successor of the Young Sword Saint was attending.
That damn reason was the root of it all.
Sigh.
My soft sigh condensed into a faint mist in the cold air.
Would I be okay? It was a worrying start.
We arrived at the inn. True to the claim that it could accommodate all the participants, the Wichen Inn was massive and sprawling.
It wasn't just a single building; they seemed to be using three interconnected structures.
"Well then, I shall go tend to the carriage."
"...Thank you. I appreciate it."
Chu-dong headed toward the stables located near the inn.
Since there would be countless carriages arriving, they had prepared ample space to accommodate them.
Once Chu-dong left, we stepped inside the inn.
"Excuse me. May I see your letters of introduction?"
The moment we entered, a man approached us with practiced ease.
My companions and I handed over our letters.
"...!"
The man's eyes widened as he checked the documents.
I felt his gaze darting toward me.
I could tell exactly what he was thinking just by looking at his eyes.
So this is the Young Sword Saint.
That was the exact look on his face.
"Ah... well... *cough*."
He cleared his throat and quickly continued.
"...I will verify your identities. Four members of Cheongwol Gate, and... hm?"
The man's gaze shifted to someone else.
"Young Master Dang Cheon-il of the Sichuan Dang Clan... confirmed."
His eyes betrayed his confusion as to why a member of the Tang family—and the Poison Dragon at that—was traveling with us.
It was a look of utter bewilderment. But then...
"Ah..."
He let out a soft groan of realization.
I wondered what had clicked in his head, but it was obvious.
He just remembered the rumors.
One of the rumors circulating about me was that after I saved Sichuan, the Poison Dragon of the Tang family began following me around, treating me as his savior.
Because of that rumor, the man was looking at the Poison Dragon with those eyes.
The Poison Dragon noticed it too and immediately scowled.
"Tsk!"
He merely clicked his tongue and didn't react any further.
I suppressed a chuckle at the sight.
This guy...
He had been thoroughly depressed for a while now.
The cause was undoubtedly his defeat in the fight against the Black Greatsword.
His cheek is still swollen.
Perhaps the shock of being sent flying by a single blow was too much to bear.
With his swollen cheek and crumpled expression, he looked incredibly ridiculous.
"Ah... Yes, four members of Cheongwol Gate and one member of the Tang family. All five of you will be staying on the top floor. I will guide you there immediately."
We followed the man upstairs.
The top floor of the inn felt entirely different.
An air of extreme luxury permeated the entire floor.
The atmosphere had grown increasingly lavish with each flight of stairs we climbed.
Did they divide the floors by rank?
It seemed they had partitioned the inn's floors based on status.
The grade of the recommendation letter we received was Gold, the highest possible tier.
It was only natural. It would have been stranger if Cheongwol Gate hadn't received a Gold rating.
Perhaps that was why we were guided to the very top floor.
The two floors directly below this one seemed to share a similar atmosphere.
"Here we are."
"Thank you."
We were shown to our rooms. Each of us was assigned a private room.
I tossed my luggage inside and stepped back out. I didn't even bother unpacking properly.
"Let's go grab some food."
I spoke to Do-hyeong, who happened to be stepping out of his room at the same time. His room was right next to mine.
There were set dining hours, and since the final serving window was approaching, we decided to gather and eat.
The Poison Dragon said he didn't want to eat, so we left him behind. Judging by his state, he probably wouldn't eat tomorrow either.
Not my problem.
If he chose to starve himself, it wasn't my place to care.
And so, we all headed downstairs.
Hmm.
Once again, I felt eyes on us.
The dining hall was in the adjacent building. When we arrived, it was already packed with people.
One look at them was all it took to realize.
They're all martial artists.
Every single person present was a martial artist. Without exception.
Perhaps because it was a gathering of martial artists, the sharp tension in the air was palpable.
Those who deliberately looked away.
Those who stared openly.
Those who watched us out of the corners of their eyes.
They fell into three categories, but I knew the truth.
They're all watching.
No matter what they pretended to do, every single one of them was focused on us. I could feel it clearly.
"Cheongwol Gate."
"It's the Sowol Squadron."
"...That's the Moon Dance Beauty, isn't it? So it was true."
"Then that means..."
Behind the low murmurs, sharp gazes quickly swept over us.
After identifying Cheon Hye-in, they immediately scanned the rest of our group.
They seemed to be checking Cheon Ui-jin, Do-hyeong, and me.
And the reason was obvious.
They're looking for me.
The Young Sword Saint who was supposed to be among them.
They were searching for me.
Realizing this, I simply walked down the stairs.
I walked down slowly and scanned the room for an empty table.
The moment they saw us descending, someone rushed over.
It was a waiter.
"Right this way, let me show you to a table...!"
We followed him and sat down.
Since I only needed to fill my stomach, I ordered a few simple dishes and sat there blankly.
"...Man, I'm exhausted..."
Fatigue washed over me. It was mostly mental exhaustion.
My brow furrowed of its own accord.
The intense gazes boring into me right now were draining, and the thought of what lay ahead only made it worse.
I'll just eat a quick meal and rest today.
Seriously, I just wanted to fill my belly and sleep.
That was my sole desire.
As I waited, the food was served.
Even then, none of us said a word to one another.
We were all exhausted, but more than that, we weren't exactly a talkative bunch to begin with.
The dishes were laid out on the table.
I was starving.
Finally, some food.
I had been so stressed lately that I'd lost my appetite and hadn't been eating properly.
But now, I was hungry enough to eat just about anything.
Just as I was about to pick up my chopsticks and dig in...
"You...!"
A voice rang out. I ignored it.
Surely it wasn't directed at me.
Or so I thought.
"We finally meet."
For some reason, the voice sounded much closer than before.
*Slam!*
"Huh?"
The impact sent the chopsticks flying from my hand.
Naturally, the food went flying too.
It was because someone had grabbed my wrist.
"What the hell?"
Anger flared hot in my chest. I was already exhausted to the bone.
"What kind of bast— Huh?"
Just as I was about to snap and curse them out...
...I saw the face of the guy holding my arm.
Wait.
I knew this face.
"You?"
A handsome but thoroughly distorted face.
And the gleaming, murderous intent swirling in his eyes.
Furthermore...
...a sinister energy was writhing behind his back.
Recognizing it, I muttered his identity.
"The pervert. No, wait..."
What was his name again?
"Namgung Seong?"
The Young Blue Sword, Namgung Seong.
He was the young genius whom Yoo Chun-gil had thoroughly thrashed back in Anhui while borrowing my body.