A Restless Morning
A day passed.
When the night finally gave way to the break of dawn, I opened my eyes and stepped out of my quarters.
The crisp morning air greeted me.
It was refreshing.
And yet...
“...Ugh, I'm exhausted.”
I was still tired.
“My back is so stiff.”
Maybe it was because I was sleeping in a strange place, but I hadn't slept well.
No. It's not because of the bed...
It was because of that damn ghost giving me sleep paralysis every single night.
“...What do you mean, what am I going to do? I can just take it easy today, can't I?”
Boring, my foot... How does it make sense to look for entertainment in a place like this?
“Let's just rest for a day. There's nothing to do anyway until the Sect Leader makes a move.”
The old man grimaced as if dissatisfied, but he didn't say anything else.
Probably because he knew there wasn't much to do either.
Now then...
I decided to take a light stroll around the area and set off.
Cheongwol Gate was massive.
To put it in perspective, it was several times larger than the Anhui branch I had been staying at.
In short, trying to tour the whole place on foot would take forever.
Honestly, there isn't much to see anyway.
I spent a decent amount of time wandering around, but nothing really caught my eye.
It made me wonder why they bothered building it so large in the first place.
“...Do they just have money to burn?”
As soon as I muttered that fundamental question, an answer came immediately.
The Uicheon Merchant Group was one of the top merchant groups in the Central Plains.
On top of that, Cheongwol Gate itself must be raking in an insane amount of donations, so of course they were filthy rich.
...I'm so damn jealous.
I was incredibly envious.
My family didn't have a single penny to their name because my father and brother had completely ruined our household.
If only we had money, I wouldn't be going through this crap right now.
“Tsk.”
Feeling a bitter taste in my mouth, I resumed my walk.
“By the way, aren't they going to feed me?”
I was hungry. I thought someone would come to guide me or let me know, but there wasn't a single servant in sight.
So, I looked at the old man and asked.
“...Do you happen to know where the dining hall is?”
I needed to get something in my stomach. But as I asked the old man...
For some reason, the old man remained silent.
What was it?
“Old man...”
“…….”
I shut my mouth instantly and scanned the surroundings.
I couldn't sense anything. Which meant whoever it was, they were far beyond my ability to detect.
“…….”
Following the old man's directions, I turned my head toward the spot.
Just as he said, thick bushes grew behind a stone statue of some unknown figure.
I stared at the spot and furrowed my brow.
Still, I saw nothing. Was someone really there? I couldn't understand it, but...
They're there.
They had to be. That damn old man wouldn't play a prank on me in a situation like this.
Dammit.
I had already spoken out loud. Standing still now would look suspicious.
I quickly adjusted my attitude. Looking toward the spot the old man had indicated, I spoke up.
“...Can't you hear me? I was asking you.”
I forced my shaky breath to steady.
“Do you not know where the dining hall is?”
There was still no response. But I didn't back down.
“If you don't know, you could at least say so. Why are you hiding and staring at me like a creep?”
By this point, I was starting to get nervous.
What if there was actually no one there? What if the old man was just messing with me? Just as that thought crossed my mind—
“...My apologies.”
Whoa, holy shit.
The voice came from my side, not from the front.
If Yoo Chun-gil hadn't warned me, I would have jumped out of my skin.
I turned my head. A man stood there. I didn't recognize him.
Judging by his attire, he was a martial artist of Cheongwol Gate.
Realizing this, I asked him.
“Do we happen to know each other?”
“Pardon?”
The man's expression faltered in confusion. Seeing that, I continued.
“Well, you were staring at me secretly, so I thought we might be acquainted. Otherwise, there'd be no reason for you to watch me. It's rather unpleasant, you see.”
“……!”
As I threw a passive-aggressive jab, the man's face instantly contorted.
“If not, then never mind.”
“...If I have offended you, I apologize.”
“Of course I'm offended. Isn't that just common sense?”
“…….”
“Ah, not that I'm trying to make you feel guilty or anything.”
I smiled and waved my hand. Of course I was trying to make him feel guilty.
Yoo Chun-gil remarked in admiration. I ignored him completely.
“So, who are you?”
I attempted a belated introduction. The fact that he had shown himself meant he at least intended to identify himself.
The man hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“I am Seom Seong-gyeong, a second-generation disciple.”
The name meant nothing to me. Who? I racked my brain, but nothing came up.
I guess he wasn't anyone worth remembering.
I had already memorized all the famous figures beforehand.
I had memorized their names, aliases, and ages, so not remembering him meant he wasn't very prominent.
“Do I need to introduce myself as well?”
“...No, that won't be necessary.”
“Understood.”
He probably already knew who I was, so there was no need to introduce myself.
“So, what is your business with me?”
“…….”
“Why were you watching me?”
If he was watching, there had to be a reason.
When I asked, the man replied.
“...I heard that the successor of the former Sect Leader had arrived... and I was curious...”
“Ah, is that so?”
I let out a smirk. My mind raced in that split second.
“Right. That makes sense.”
“Well...”
“Forget about that... Can I ask you something else then?”
“Yes?”
“I'm hungry. Do you know where the dining hall is?”
“……?”
The sudden question made the man's face twist into a comical expression.
“I asked you earlier too. Do you know where the dining hall is?”
“...Well...”
“You don't know?”
“...If you go straight down that way, you'll find it.”
“Oh, will there be food if I go now?”
“Ah... yes...”
“Thank you.”
I walked past the dumbfounded man in the direction he pointed.
Is he really just leaving? The man stared at me with that exact look on his face.
I stopped in my tracks and spoke.
I didn't turn my head.
“Oh, and make sure to report your impressions of me to your superior...”
I could feel the man flinch.
But I wasn't done.
“And pass it on to the other person who was watching me, too.”
“……!”
“Tell them I'd like to see their face next time.”
Ignoring the startled man's reaction, I walked away.
I had to do my absolute best to hide the cold sweat running down my back in the dead silence.
After walking for quite a while, I stopped.
Then, I turned my head to look at Yoo Chun-gil.
The old man smirked at me and shook his head.
“Phew...!”
Only then did I bend over and let out a deep sigh.
“...That was terrifying.”
As I gasped for the breath I had been holding, sweat began to pour down my face.
I had never felt this way before.
I couldn't even sense them.
I had no idea someone was watching me.
Even after knowing their location and staring right at it.
What if they had tried to assassinate me?
I might have died without even realizing what happened.
Realizing that brought me back to reality. No matter how much people called me the successor of the Sword Saint...
I'm still a nobody.
If I got cocky, I could die in the blink of an eye.
...I need to get my head in the game.
I pulled my stray thoughts together.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead.
Who could it be?
My head cooled down even as my body felt flushed.
The body that had felt warm just a moment ago now felt cold.
Who is it?
Under whose orders were they watching me? I racked my brain.
A few names immediately came to mind.
The three who had shown unusual reactions during the interrogation disguised as an interview.
Those old men who looked like elders. Or the Sect Leader.
Or the other two who had looked at me strangely, or...
Lady Cheon.
That bizarre woman I met yesterday. Her eyes flashed in my mind.
I clicked my tongue, going over each person of interest.
It was complicated. But right now, more than that...
“First, I need to fill my stomach.”
Yoo Chun-gil let out a dry laugh at my reaction.
Did it look strange that I was prioritizing food after almost getting caught in a dangerous situation?
Whatever the case, I have to eat.
It was all to survive. I had to eat when I could.
Only then would I have the strength to find a way out.
I started walking again.
I straightened my back and focused my gaze. After walking a bit further, the smell of food began to drift into my nose.
This was it. I walked forward with certainty.
Ah, but wait.
Am I even allowed to go there?
Isn't it only for the sect's martial artists? Can I just walk in?
I had come all this way without thinking about that.
After a brief hesitation, I kept going.
If they say no, I'll just explain.
I could probably just ask Cheon Ui-jin for help. That was my thought.
By the time I reached the building, a crowd of people had gathered in front of it.
What's this?
They were young. Exactly my age group. They looked to be anywhere from their early teens to their twenties.
They were waiting in front of the dining hall, looking incredibly tense for some reason.
What was going on here?
Are we not allowed to eat?
As I watched them with confusion...
“Enter.”
The man guarding the entrance spoke, and they all swarmed inside as if they had been waiting for that exact cue.
“...What the?”
What kind of situation was this? While I stood there dazed for a moment—
“Hey! What are you doing! Didn't you hear me?”
“Pardon?”
The man yelled at me with a harsh expression.
“Me?”
“Who else is here besides you! Get inside already!”
He was right. Everyone else had gone inside, leaving me standing there alone.
...Should I go in?
After a brief hesitation, I moved my feet.
What's the worst that could happen?
I walked in without thinking much of it.
The interior was cleaner than I expected. It was clear that the place was well-maintained.
But...
Why is that side empty?
The tables on the left were packed, but the ones on the right were completely empty.
This...
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like I was supposed to sit on the crowded side.
But there are no seats...?
There wasn't a single open seat on the left.
Shit, what should I do? Should I sit? Or should I just leave the dining hall right now?
Just as I was agonizing over this—
Tug!
Someone tugged on my sleeve.
“E-Excuse me.”
“Hmm?”
I turned around to see a young man around my age, looking terrified as he pulled at me.
“What is it?”
“What are you doing? Sit down quickly...!”
“...No, it's not that...”
I couldn't sit because there were no seats, so what was he telling me to do?
But his expression was so desperate. Left with no choice, I sat down at one of the empty tables on the right.
“Ah, wait...!”
The young man gasped in shock and tried to say something, but—
“Silence! The senior brothers have arrived! Third-generation disciples, show your respect!”
The man who had yelled at me earlier shouted once again.
At his voice, a group of people appeared at the entrance.
Scritch—!
In that instant, everyone who had been sitting stood up in unison.
The sheer tension on their faces was palpable.
“Oh, crap.”
Seeing that, I immediately realized I had screwed up.
My intuition kicked in. I finally understood why these seats had been left empty.
Meanwhile, everyone else had stood up, leaving me as the only one still sitting.
Because of that, every single eye in the room turned toward me.
“…….”
Not only the third-generation disciples on the right, but also the ones who seemed to be second-generation disciples stared at me.
Goddammit.
I immediately turned my head to look at Yoo Chun-gil.
The old man was covering his mouth, trying to hold back his laughter.
Seeing his reaction, I scowled.
That crazy old man knew exactly what this situation was.
He knew, and he deliberately didn't tell me.
When I glared at him with resentment, Yoo Chun-gil grinned and spoke.
Entertaining?
Entertaining for him, not for me. That was why he had kept his mouth shut.
It was absurd. I wanted to curse him out right then and there, but—
“How peculiar.”
Startled by the voice coming from right in front of me, I quickly turned my head.
As I shifted my gaze, a pair of blue eyes met mine.
“I didn't expect to see you here.”
A beautiful woman stood there, wearing a faint smile.
“Nice to see you.”
It was the Moon Dance Beauty, Cheon Hye-in.
“...Young Master Bang?”
And standing right behind her was Cheon Ui-jin.
“…….”
Why on earth were these people here?
I was genuinely curious about that.