A Familiar Face and a Summons
Night passed, and morning arrived. That was the thought that crossed my mind as I stepped out of my room and looked up at the sky.
My eyes, gazing at the dawning sky, were thoroughly pickled with fatigue.
It couldn't be helped. I hadn't slept a single wink all night.
"Ugh..."
I was tired enough to die.
Technically, as a martial artist, my body didn't feel physically exhausted, but having spent the night on high alert, my overall condition was terrible.
Normally, I should have been training, but I didn't even have the mental capacity for that.
...Damn it.
I was too worried that someone else might show up.
That anxiety had kept me wide awake.
Yoo Chun-gil had told me to sleep, saying he would keep watch, but...
Yeah, right.
Considering the trouble that old man had caused just the day before yesterday, there was no way I could trust him.
In the end, I had to spend the night with my eyes wide open.
"Haaah."
A sigh escaped my lips.
This is a first.
A life of being targeted? It was a life I had never even imagined. Being watched and targeted by someone...
It was something I had never experienced or even contemplated.
Ah, though I suppose I felt something similar from ghosts in my past life.
But humans are a different story.
Humans posed a much more practical and immediate danger.
Especially in a violent world like the Murim.
"Groan..."
Having spent the entire day in a state of high tension, my exhausted mind showed no signs of recovery.
Shaking my head to clear the fog, I made my way down to the inn's tavern.
Since it was late morning, the tavern was relatively empty.
Where is everyone else?
My companions were nowhere to be seen. Since we hadn't scheduled anything for today, they were probably in their rooms or out training.
"Hmm."
With that in mind, I sat down at an empty table. As if he had been waiting, the waiter immediately approached.
I held up a single finger to him.
"One bowl of wheat noodles, please."
"Right away, sir!"
The moment he took the order, he dashed off. Judging by his quick, short strides and small stature, he looked to be under ten years old.
Watching him scurry away like an arrow was actually quite endearing.
It brought back a few old memories.
As I sat there lost in thought, the waiter returned in a flash with the food.
"Here you go, sir."
"Thank you."
I thanked him and took the bowl. But...
Huh?
I tilted my head.
Why isn't he leaving?
The waiter just stood there. Why wasn't he going back? Once the food was served, shouldn't he leave?
After a moment's thought, it clicked.
Ah.
Did he want a tip? I had heard that the reason these waiters moved so fast was for a little extra pocket change.
...Hmm...
Did I have any money on me? I rarely carried cash, so I doubted I had anything.
Just as I was rummaging through my robes to find something to give him...
"What can I get for you?"
The waiter asked.
"Huh? Oh, no. I'll find it in a second and give..."
"My lady?"
"Hmm?"
My lady?
I furrowed my brows at the waiter's words. What did he mean, "my lady"?
Looking up at him, I realized his eyes weren't focused on me.
"..."
I followed his gaze and turned my head to the side. At that moment—
"Whoa!"
Startled, I recoiled and pulled back. Someone was sitting right next to me.
When did they sit down?
I hadn't sensed a thing.
Yoo Chun-gil burst into laughter at my reaction. That old man had deliberately kept quiet. Damned geezer.
Swallowing my cold sweat, I asked the woman sitting next to me.
"...What is it?"
"..."
No answer came. More accurately, she probably couldn't answer.
"Sword Phoenix."
"..."
The person sitting next to me was the Sword Phoenix.
She sat beside me, staring intently at me—no, at my wheat noodles.
"..."
"..."
Seeing this, I nudged the bowl of noodles slightly. The Sword Phoenix's eyes followed the movement. I nudged it a bit more. Same result.
Could it be...?
"...Do you want some?"
At my question, the Sword Phoenix nodded.
"I mean, if you want to eat, you can just order some. Why are you just sitting there watching me?"
Dumbfounded, I asked, and she finally tore her eyes away from the noodles to stare at me.
Then, she pointed a finger at her mouth.
"Ah. Because you can't speak?"
"..."
"Then you could have just pointed at the menu... Sigh... Don't tell me you were just sitting here starving?"
"..."
She nodded at that, too. I was speechless.
So, basically...
She was sitting here hungry, and since I happened to show up, she came to ask for help?
What kind of person is this?
Though bewildered, I went ahead and ordered for her.
"Another bowl of wheat noodles, please."
"Right away!"
The waiter brought another bowl. I pushed the one that had just been served to me over to the Sword Phoenix first.
The moment it was in front of her, she began devouring the noodles like crazy.
She was eating at an incredible speed.
Was she really that hungry...?
"Eat a bit slower... You're going to get indiges—oh, forget it."
No sooner had the words left my mouth than she began thumping her chest. This was driving me crazy.
I quickly handed her my cup of water.
She grabbed it immediately and gulped it down.
"Are you okay?"
"..."
"Are you possessed by a starving ghost? Why are you eating like that? Do you like wheat noodles?"
"..."
At my question, she nodded. Ah, so she likes wheat noodles.
Well, I guess that explains it.
I chuckled and prepared to eat my own food, but now she was staring intently at me again.
What now?
"...What? You want this one too? No way. I need to eat too."
This time, she shook her head instead of nodding.
So she didn't want the noodles. Then what was it?
I stared back at her with puzzled eyes.
Our eyes met.
She was a striking beauty with dark eyes and pale skin.
Ah, of course, I wasn't staring to admire her looks.
Who on earth is she?
I was still plagued by this question. The Sword Phoenix seemed to know me, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't recognize her.
I was usually good with faces, so I should have remembered her.
But I drew a complete blank.
So I just asked.
"Do you know me?"
"..."
She nodded again.
"I mean, not as the Young Sword Saint. Did you know the original me?"
She nodded once more.
"...That shouldn't be possible."
There was no way she knew me. And there was no way I would forget someone like the Sword Phoenix.
Who could she be?
I had no idea.
"Aren't you mistaken?"
She shook her head side to side.
"Look, I've never even been to Shaanxi. How could you possibly know me?"
"..."
This time, there was no response. She just stared at me. What was that look in her eyes?
I've never met anyone so expressionless.
I couldn't read her emotions at all. What was she thinking? What did she want? Her face gave away absolutely nothing.
It was difficult. People like this were the hardest for me to deal with.
I would honestly prefer someone troublesome like Cheon Hye-in.
With her...
Since I can't read her at all...
It was even more uncomfortable.
Just as I was about to scratch my cheek while pondering this...
Slide.
The Sword Phoenix moved. She pointed her hand at the empty noodle bowl.
"Hmm?"
What was she doing? She had already indicated she didn't want more noodles. So why did she keep pointing at it?
As I frowned, unable to grasp her intention...
Lift.
She suddenly picked up the empty bowl.
And then...
*Tap, tap.*
She turned it upside down and held it over her head, shaking it.
As if to show me that the bowl was completely clean.
"What are you suddenly... Huh?"
Watching her bizarre behavior, a sudden memory flashed through my mind.
"Wait... Ah?"
Something clicked.
It was from the distant past. Right after I met Moyong Yeong-sun. To be precise, right after I regained the memories of my past life.
The memory of that time overlapped with the present situation.
"Oh?"
I felt like something similar had happened back then.
My eyes widened as the realization hit me.
"No way—"
Just as I was about to piece together the Sword Phoenix's true identity...
"!"
*Shring!*
*Clatter!*
The Sword Phoenix suddenly moved. The bowl she was holding shattered to the floor.
Her sword flew from its scabbard in a lightning-fast draw.
*Screech!*
Where her blade came to a halt, a man was standing.
It was just like before. A man had appeared out of nowhere, standing silently and staring at me.
The Sword Phoenix's blade was pressed right against his throat.
Holy crap, that scared me.
I was startled, even more so because she had reacted so suddenly.
Who is this guy now?
While I was trying to calm my racing heart, the man staring at me spoke.
"Are you Young Master Bang Seong-yeon of the Cheongwol Gate?"
"...Who are you?"
He was clearly no ordinary person. The martial robes he wore, topped with a formal cloak, indicated he held a high rank within the Martial Alliance.
"I am Jegal Yeok, the Leader of the Third Division of the Alliance."
"!"
He was a prominent figure.
Jegal Yeok, Leader of the Third Division. He was counted among the strongest division leaders in the Alliance, a master known throughout the Murim as the Gentle Breeze Sword.
Why was someone like him looking for me?
While I stood frozen at the sudden appearance of such a master, he spoke again.
"A high-ranking authority of the Alliance wishes to see you, Young Master Bang."
"...Me?"
An even more baffling piece of news had just landed on my lap.
*Creak.*
I closed the door behind me and stepped inside.
The first thing I noticed upon entering the room was the cool scent of books.
The distinct smell of paper and ink unique to a library packed with books.
The slightly damp yet nostalgic aroma that accumulated from neglected shelves faintly reminded me of my past life.
Though ghosts had been the closest things to me back then...
Books were what I had read to the point of sickness.
And written words were what I had kept close to the point of exhaustion.
As if secretly yearning for this familiar scent, I feasted my eyes on the sight.
They're everywhere.
The room was filled with books. What's more, they were clearly treasured.
Though letters and documents lay scattered across the floor, not a single book was among them.
Every single volume was neatly arranged and maintained on the bookshelves.
Still, the reason for the heavy scent of ink and the slightly musty air was likely due to the documents strewn across the floor.
...There's nowhere to step.
There were so many papers that I couldn't find a clear spot to place my foot. I tried to tread carefully on my tiptoes, but it wasn't easy.
As I stood there awkwardly scanning the room...
"Sit."
A cold voice pierced my ears.
It came from the old man reading a document ahead of me.
He had an incredibly thin, frail build. Perhaps because of his gauntness, his sharp features looked even more fierce.
Yoo Chun-gil had once described him.
He said he looked like rotten tree bark.
True to those words, the old man's appearance naturally gave off that exact impression.
I had briefly encountered him before, but seeing him up close like this made it even clearer.
Reading my thoughts, Yoo Chun-gil chimed in slyly.
I did my best to ignore him and focused.
That man was...
The King of War.
The War King, or the God of War.
A monster who had left countless martial artists in his wake to achieve the greatest feats in war.
The greatest genius in the history of the Jegal Clan.
Cheonli Jinan Jegal Jin.
And...
My maternal grandfather.
Out of nowhere, I had come face-to-face with him.