The Gathering of Dragons and Phoenixes
The streets of Hubei were choked with people, all swarming in to witness the Yongbongjihoe—the Gathering of Dragons and Phoenixes. The inns had been booked solid long ago, and even offering a hefty premium wasn't enough to secure a room. Some had even resorted to pitching tents on the bare ground, but even then, the prime spots had already been claimed.
It was clear that even if Seong-jin sold off his now-useless carriage, finding a place to sleep would be a monumental task. Seeing this, Yeong-myeong made a suggestion.
"Brother Ju, have you secured lodging? If there's no room, I can offer you a place as my guest."
"Are you suggesting that the Mount Hua Sect, based in Shaanxi, happens to own a manor here in Hubei?"
"A manor? Hardly. We aren't setting up a branch office. It’s just that since the Sect Leader himself has graced us with his presence, we’ve rented out an entire inn."
With the city this crowded, the cost of renting an entire inn for the duration of the Yongbongjihoe was unimaginable. Even Seong-jin, who cared little for money, couldn't help but be surprised.
"The resources of the great Mount Hua Sect are truly staggering."
Indeed, the inn Yeong-myeong led them to was a luxurious establishment nestled against a river with a picturesque view.
"Senior Brother! I’m back! I’ve brought guests with me, so please, open up some rooms!"
Yeong-myeong kicked the gate open with a wide grin, but the atmosphere inside the inn was chilling. To be precise, there were so few people in the vast building that it felt like walking through a graveyard at night—a strange, unsettling coldness that had no business being there.
"Senior Brother Yeong-myeong?"
"You're back already? But who are these people?"
A few disciples who had come down to the first floor recognized Yeong-myeong and welcomed him. They didn't recognize Danmok Cheong or the others, as they had remained within the sect’s gates, unlike Yeong-myeong, who had represented Mount Hua at the Cheonmuhakgwan.
"This is the Diancang Sword, Lady Danmok, whom I’ve mentioned often, and this is Lady Shin of the Lightning Spear."
"Ah! Then this person is...!"
The Mount Hua disciples recognized their names immediately. Yeong-myeong had talked about them so much that they felt like old acquaintances. However, the situation with Seong-jin was different.
"And this is Brother Ju, a younger brother with whom I’ve decided to swear an oath of brotherhood. He isn't a student of the Cheonmuhakgwan, so he can't use the Murim Alliance quarters. Please, lend him one of the empty rooms as my guest."
"Ah, about that, Senior Brother Yeong-myeong..."
The Mount Hua disciples looked troubled at Yeong-myeong's request. Just as he was about to press them for an explanation, a voice echoed from the floor above.
"I have ordered that no outsiders be allowed into this inn."
"Senior Brother Baekgeomja?"
The man called Baekgeomja appeared to be a generation above Yeong-myeong. He looked older, and a thick scent of plum blossoms wafted from him.
"My order is that no outsiders are to be admitted while we stay here."
"But to forbid anyone from entering this massive inn? Aren't we being a bit too stingy?"
"The Sect Leader has permitted this, so do not argue."
"The Sect Leader...?"
While Yeong-myeong stood flustered, the quick-witted Danmok Cheong stepped in to resolve the situation.
"It seems there are circumstances beyond our control. It is true that we visited without prior notice, so we shall offer our greetings another time."
She left a brief message for Yeong-myeong via Jeoneum (telepathic transmission) and led Seong-jin and Shin Suran back outside.
"Well, it’s a shame the chance to speak with the Sect Leader has vanished, but it can't be helped. I can ask Senior Geomryong about what happened later, so let's be on our way."
"Mm, yes. If it’s a matter within the sect, it’s not for outsiders to interfere. But what do we do now?"
Shin Suran, who had been nodding along, turned to Seong-jin with a troubled expression.
"With so many people here, it might be hard to find a room now. We can return to the Cheonmuhakgwan, but for you, benefactor..."
"Do not worry about me. The weather is warm; I won't freeze to death sleeping on the street."
"No, even if you are immune to cold and heat, that simply won't do!"
"If that is the case, I shall go to the beggars and borrow a straw mat. They say the world is one family, so the Gaebang (Beggar Sect) will not turn me away."
"Aigoo! How could I sleep in a bed while leaving my benefactor to sleep on the streets!"
"Then would Lady Shin like to sleep on the streets with me?"
"That wouldn't solve anything at all!"
As Shin Suran paced back and forth in distress, Danmok Cheong, who had been watching from the side, spoke up.
"Then, couldn't Young Master Ju simply participate in the Yongbongjihoe?"
"What do you mean?"
"Participants in the Yongbongjihoe are provided with Murim Alliance lodging for the duration of the event. Young Master Ju is skilled enough to have saved Sister Suran, so participating shouldn't be difficult, right? If nothing else, even if you forfeit all your matches after registering, you would still be provided with a room."
"That's right! If we do as Cheong says, you could get a room!"
Shin Suran clapped her hands, delighted by the idea.
"Or you could even aim for the championship. With your skills, benefactor, you would surely achieve great results!"
Shin Suran looked at Seong-jin with expectant eyes, but Seong-jin shook his head.
"How could I possibly mingle with the students of the Cheonmuhakgwan?"
Seong-jin had been mentored by Lee Cheol-goi, the founder of the Gaebang. By seniority, he was just one generation below the founding masters of the Nine Sects and One Clan. Considering his standing, even the current Sect Leaders of the Nine Sects were like children before him. How could he possibly enter a martial arts tournament for students?
'It is not something a gentleman would do.'
He could not play the role of a neighborhood bully among children, given his seniority. Furthermore, his goal was to hunt down demons. He needed to move freely to investigate the plum blossom scent that the mistress of the Okseolhyang Pavilion had mentioned. If he wasted his time being dragged around by the schedule of the Yongbongjihoe, it would be putting the cart before the horse.
"I will find lodging on my own. In a city this large, there must be a place for one person to sleep."
Seong-jin declined, but Shin Suran refused to back down, insisting she could not just let him go.
"Let's go to the Murim Alliance together. No matter how many people there are, if it's the Murim Alliance, they must have a spare guest room. Or perhaps they can introduce us to other accommodations."
He had no interest in the Yongbongjihoe, but the Murim Alliance was a different story. He had to verify if there were demons within the Alliance anyway, so Seong-jin decided to accompany them there.
On the way to the Murim Alliance headquarters, Shin Suran explained the relationship between the Alliance and the Cheonmuhakgwan.
"The Murim Alliance was formed for the sake of the Cheonmuhakgwan in the first place."
Her explanation was as follows:
"The great sects of the world are bound together under the name of the Nine Sects and One Clan, but in reality, most of them are so far apart that they might never meet in their entire lifetimes."
Seong-jin nodded, looking at Danmok Cheong.
"Take the Diancang Sect in Yunnan, for example; it’s a journey of several months from here."
The world was vast. In that vast world, people lived their entire lives knowing only those around them. Even if they were grouped as the Nine Sects and One Clan due to their fame, the occasions where those sects actually met were rare. Naturally, there was no foundation for a "Murim Alliance" in such a relationship.
"The Cheonmuhakgwan is an academy created so that these distant sects can interact and continue to develop. Stagnant water is bound to rot, after all."
That was the reason why the great sects of the world had poured an enormous amount of money into this land, even when they could have just focused on their own interests.
"Rather than having disciples of each sect wander the world individually, gathering them all to interact allows them to gain more experience in a shorter time. The Murim Alliance was formed for this purpose, and its first project is the Cheonmuhakgwan."
But that raised a question.
"Why would the sects that invested in the Murim Alliance go to such lengths?"
If they could raise their disciples to be stronger, it would be worth any amount of gold. However, there would surely be those who thought even a thousand gold pieces were too much, and others who would be reluctant to have their martial arts exposed to outsiders. If a martial art that pursued a single, decisive strike were analyzed by an opponent, it would instantly become useless. Even without such extreme examples, few people would want their own martial arts to become the foundation for others.
"They had no choice. The Central Plains Murim had been defeated by a single person."
"A single person?"
"The Cheonma (Heavenly Demon). Half a century ago, every sect in the world was crushed by the hands of that devil who fell from the sky. The devil defeated those who stood in his way and took all the treasures and spiritual medicines of the world. Even the Shaolin Temple couldn't stop the Cheonma when he invaded alone, and they were robbed of their Daehwandan (Great Restoration Pill)."
It was a shocking story.
"Because such a thing happened, the sects of the Murim began to worry that they had been complacent and falling behind. The sects of the Righteous Path gathered and decided to do something about it—that is the meaning of the Murim Alliance."
For that reason, this Yongbongjihoe held significant importance. The Cheonmuhakgwan was the result of creating the Murim Alliance and forcing the disciples of the sects to spend a considerable amount of time there during their most energetic and important years. If the Cheonmuhakgwan were to be concluded as a useless endeavor, the Murim Alliance would be disbanded, and the sects of the Righteous Path would likely never gather like this again for the next hundred years.
While they were talking, the group arrived at the largest building in the city. The sight of countless pavilions, including a nine-story main building, spread out on a scale rivaling a royal palace, was truly a spectacle.
'I smell the scent of a demon.'
It was a faint, lingering scent, so subtle that one would miss it without focusing. The stench that came not from the flesh, but from the soul, could not be detected even by the sharpest Murim masters. Only those who had awakened their spiritual perception could detect it; it could not be felt through the senses of the flesh.
'However, it is difficult to be certain which of the people inside is the demon based on the scent alone.'
At this time, hundreds of people must be passing through the Murim Alliance every day. Among the martial artists and servants hired for money, there must be ordinary people who had come simply to work. Tracking it by the lingering scent alone was impossible.
While Seong-jin was sniffing the air, Shin Suran was grabbing a person from the General Affairs Office and asking various questions.
"Aigoo, there are more than one or two guests who have come without notice. I'm telling you, there really is no room left. We’ve already converted all the storage rooms into sleeping quarters."
"But you mean to say there isn't a single room left?"
"There are truly no spare guest rooms, but there are still some empty spaces in the quarters for the Murim Alliance martial artists."
The clerk from the General Affairs Office explained:
"However, those quarters are only for martial artists who have performed missions for the Murim Alliance, even if they are guests... If you wish to use them, you must formally register as a guest martial artist and carry out missions."
"There is no way I could make my benefactor do such a thing!"
Shin Suran waved her hands, saying it was absurd, but Seong-jin thought differently.
"If I become a guest martial artist for the Murim Alliance, can I stay inside the Alliance?"
"Eh? Well, of course. Being a guest martial artist is a type of mercenary system where you don't receive a monthly salary, but you can accept and perform missions desired by the Murim Alliance."
"Choosing the work I want to do. It is the perfect system for accumulating Gong-gwa-gyeok (Taoist merit points). How does one become a guest martial artist?"
No matter how many people there were, if someone was blatantly reeking of a demon right in front of him, he wouldn't be able to miss it. Since becoming a guest martial artist meant he could legally stay inside the Murim Alliance and search for the demon, Seong-jin had no reason to hesitate.
"Those who wish to become guest martial artists can take the test at the Jeonguigak (Pavilion of Justice). Personal martial prowess is important, as is one's background, but if the Lightning Spear guarantees your identity, you cannot be treated the same as nameless wanderers."
"Are you really going to do this, benefactor?"
"Yes. It has worked out well. If I do this, I will be able to stay in the Murim Alliance, so I will be able to see Lady Shin often as well."
"Eh? Ah, um, so... I am happy too."
"...?"