The Matchmaking
It was uncomfortable.
I had been dragged(?) to the office of Mong Family Villa’s head, Mong Yu-baek.
“What did you just say?”
I was so shocked that the words barely came out.
“Hm? Oh, it seems the Great Elder didn’t tell you.”
Mong Yu-baek nodded with a pleased expression and explained in detail.
In short… skipping all the complicated parts, it meant the Great Elder had sent me here to find me a marriage partner.
That much I understood.
“But… why me…?”
“Well, my granddaughter has also come of age. Why, do you dislike the idea?”
“This isn’t a matter of liking or disliking. Do you even know how old I am?”
“You’re sixteen now, aren’t you?”
“So you do know.”
Hmm.
Come to think of it, when I left the family, the Great Elder’s expression had been strange. So this was why?
“Of course, I have no intention of marrying you off right away. Your feelings are the most important. Indeed.”
That was a relief.
Mong Yu-baek nodded and studied me carefully.
“I’m sorry, but I have no thoughts of marriage at the moment.”
In fact, I might never have them.
In truth, I had never once considered the word “marriage” in my life.
“That makes sense. At your age, there must be so many things you want to do. I understand completely.”
“Anyway, thank you for thinking so highly of me.”
I bowed politely.
“Well, I suppose I was too hasty. On the contrary, I should apologize. You must have been quite startled?”
Yes, I was a little startled.
Despite my inner thoughts, I shook my head.
“It’s fine.”
“Good. You may go now. I unnecessarily rushed things and kept you here against your will.”
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
I offered a final bow and quickly escaped the room.
I really thought I was going to suffocate to death.
To think a marriage talk had already been arranged.
‘Great Elder…’
Damn it. I really can’t let my guard down.
This life was clearly moving on a completely different trajectory from my previous one.
“How did it go?”
After Ju Woo-jin left, Mong Yu-baek, who remained in his office, muttered to himself.
At that, someone dropped down from thin air.
It was Mong Ryeong, the man known as Mong Yu-baek’s shadow.
“He is no ordinary person. For someone who is only sixteen…”
“Like a monster, right? In all my years, I’ve never seen anyone achieve that level of mastery at such an age.”
Mong Yu-baek was genuinely impressed.
He had been watching Ju Woo-jin from the moment the boy first arrived at the villa looking like a beggar until now.
From their very first meeting, the boy had been extraordinary.
‘The Sword Sovereign raised a true monster.’
Even the Sword Sovereign had displayed monstrous genius at a young age and grown at a terrifying pace.
To Mong Yu-baek, who remembered the Sword Sovereign’s youth, Ju Woo-jin looked exactly like him.
No. In fact, Ju Woo-jin was already surpassing him.
‘It may not be the next Sword Sovereign… it may very well be the birth of a Sword Saint.’
In the history of the martial world, the title of Sword Saint had last been held roughly five hundred years ago by Gok Cheong-jin, an elder of Mount Hua.
One had to go back several centuries before that. The title of Sword Saint was reserved for those who had reached the absolute pinnacle of the sword.
Seeing that potential in Ju Woo-jin, Mong Yu-baek couldn’t help but salivate at the thought.
‘Even the Sword Sovereign, once called the greatest genius under the heavens, only stepped past Transcendent Peak when he was nearly twenty.’
Yet this boy had already reached Transcendent Peak at the mere age of sixteen.
It was an absurd level of martial prowess.
“If the Sword Sovereign was a typhoon, that boy is a tidal wave that will swallow everything. To think I would live long enough to witness such a monster.”
“However, he is dangerous.”
At that moment, Mong Ryeong spoke in a cold tone.
“Dangerous? What exactly is dangerous?”
“That child called Ju Woo-jin… he saw straight through the place where I had concealed myself with the Shadow Concealment Technique. It was only for an instant, but I am certain.”
“He located your position? Even I cannot find you if you truly wish to hide. Yet that boy found you?”
Mong Yu-baek snorted in disbelief.
It was an unbelievable story.
Who was Mong Ryeong?
He was the greatest expert of the Mong Family Villa and the strongest swordsman in all of Hubei Province.
For such a man to hide with full intent, only to be discovered?
“Just to be sure, I changed positions several times, but each time he pinpointed me exactly.”
“Hahaha, the more I hear, the more I want him.”
Mong Yu-baek realized he should not have let Ju Woo-jin leave so easily.
If he didn’t secure him now, it would be difficult to do so later.
Since there seemed to be no limit to the boy’s growth, he needed to plant the seed early…
“Hah, no.”
But that was not something Mong Yu-baek could force.
“The boy’s heart must be moved as well. Indeed.”
He would make an ideal grandson-in-law, but above all, both his granddaughter and Ju Woo-jin had to genuinely like each other.
He had not the slightest intention of forcing the two together.
What had happened the last time he did such a thing?
As he recalled the past, Mong Yu-baek’s face instantly turned ashen.
“Villa Lord.”
Mong Ryeong quickly called out to pull him from his dark thoughts.
Mong Yu-baek silently gazed out the window.
In the distance, he could see his granddaughter Mong Yeo-rin strolling through the rear garden.
The expression on Mong Yu-baek’s face as he watched her was a complex mixture of pity and sorrow.
A sudden marriage proposal had come up.
Of course, it hadn’t been an official request.
The problem was the Great Elder.
‘Why did he send me here?’
My eldest brother was already married, so it had nothing to do with him.
That left only my second brother, Ju Sang-jin, and myself.
“Hmm. I see.”
Thinking about it, I could easily understand why I had been sent here.
Ju Sang-jin relied more on the Namgung Family than on the Ju Family.
It was probably because of his mother, Namgung I-hwa.
Naturally, it was far more likely that the Namgung Family would secretly arrange his marriage rather than the Ju Family.
On the other hand, me?
There wasn’t a single family that had even approached me with a marriage talk, let alone an actual match.
Now that I was sixteen, it was about time to start looking for a partner.
‘If it’s the Mong Family Villa…’
Sigh. It was more than reliable; it was practically overflowing with prestige for someone like me.
Anyway, I was starting to get hungry, so I figured I might as well go eat.
“Oh? You were here?”
At the familiar voice and the sight of the man before me, I stopped in my tracks.
The one approaching me with a bright smile was Tang Jin, the fourth young master of the Tang Family, whom I hadn’t seen in a while.
“It’s been a long time.”
“Haha! Why so formal? I’ve been looking for you, actually.”
“You must have just arrived? I was wondering where the Tang Family people were.”
“Yeah, I was a bit late. I wasn’t even planning to come here originally, but when I heard you were coming, I rushed over.”
He came because of me.
It couldn’t be that he simply missed me.
“Here, take a look at this.”
“……”
Tang Jin immediately untied the bundle he was carrying on his back and pulled out a single sword.
“This is the sword I was going to make for you before. But after I finished it, the family head brought back some Baekrenjeonggang. So I had to start over.”
“Ah.”
Baekrenjeonggang.
It was one of the Eight Heavenly Metals I had received from my uncle, the Blood Sovereign, during the time of the Ju Family’s Reign Over the World.
It was far harder and lighter than ordinary metals, making it an extremely valuable material.
“So this was forged from Baekrenjeonggang.”
“Yeah. I melted down the sword I originally made for you and reforged it.”
Sigh. He really didn’t have to go that far.
“Thank you. I’ll gladly accept it.”
The sword fit perfectly in my hand.
Its weight was so light it was almost imperceptible.
“May I draw it?”
“Of course. Go ahead and take a look.”
Tang Jin spoke with a proud, confident expression.
I slowly drew the sword from its sheath.
Srrrng!
The moment the blade left the scabbard, a clear ring of metal was accompanied by a piercing sound like the roar of a savage beast.
The blue sheen on the blade reflected my face perfectly.
Cold. Sharp.
It was flawlessly clean.
There were almost no impurities visible at all.
“What do you think?”
“This…”
I slowly swung the sword a few times.
“You’ve truly become a master craftsman. I feel like I should pay you properly for this.”
“Hahaha! Just hearing you say that is enough. This is all thanks to you, so there’s no need to be so grateful.”
Seeing Tang Jin’s bright laughter, I felt genuinely pleased as well.
“It’s all because of you that I found my path. Hehe.”
Unlike before, his face looked relaxed.
It was the kind of pride a true artisan would have.
“Let’s go inside. It looks like everyone’s awake now.”
“Yeah. I should greet the faces I haven’t seen in a while.”
Tang Jin smiled brightly and headed toward the training grounds.
The sun was high in the sky, and the young talents had already gathered at the training grounds to warm up.
Ever since my spar with Byeok Gong, they had all caught fire.
On the training platform, Jegal Yeong-jun and a young Taoist from the Qingcheng Sect were facing off.
“Oh, a battle between a family and a sect.”
Tang Jin looked up at the platform with interest.
Since I was also curious about Qingcheng’s swordsmanship, I turned my gaze toward the platform as well.
‘Qingcheng Sect.’
In my previous life, the Ju Family was the first to be destroyed, followed by the Five Great Families and the Nine Great Sects falling one after another to the Demon Cult’s attacks.
Among the Nine Great Sects, the Qingcheng Sect was the first to be completely wiped out.
Therefore, I had no memory of Qingcheng’s sword techniques.
It was only natural that I would be interested.
The young Taoist from Qingcheng, Neung Cheon, was the direct disciple of the sect leader and had been chosen as the next leader.
His sword forms were persistent and incredibly fast.
It seemed he had inherited every secret technique of the Clear Wind Sword that Qingcheng was so proud of.
Jegal Yeong-jun was helplessly pushed back and eventually knocked clean off the training platform.
“Impressive.”
As expected of Qingcheng.
I had felt it during Byeok Gong’s spar with Mount Hua as well—the secret techniques of these sects could not be taken lightly.
There was a time when these sects refused to acknowledge the martial families.
It was a matter of pride, but they had their reasons.
Unlike the worldly families, the sects maintained a noble distance from the secular world and devoted themselves solely to cultivation.
“Hmm.”
I watched Jegal Yeong-jun and Neung Cheon exchange respectful salutes.
‘Why did he hide his strength?’
It didn’t make sense.
The aura I felt from Jegal Yeong-jun was clearly above First-rate.
He should have been able to easily dodge Qingcheng’s sword.
‘He lost on purpose.’
He had deliberately let himself lose to Qingcheng’s sword.
As Jegal Yeong-jun sheathed his sword with cold eyes that revealed nothing of his thoughts, our gazes met.
“Huh?”
The corner of Jegal Yeong-jun’s mouth curled upward.
‘Is he mocking me?’
He was laughing at me.
What kind of psychological warfare was this?
Truly, this Dragon and Phoenix Assembly was becoming more and more interesting.
A short while later, loud cheers erupted from around the training grounds.
Someone was walking out from among the young talents.
“Namgung Sang.”
Namgung Sang, the prodigy of the Namgung Family, had stepped onto the training platform.
The crowd’s eyes sparkled as they watched him.
Namgung Sang seemed to enjoy the attention and slowly looked around.
Then he cupped his fist and spoke.
“I am Namgung Sang of the Namgung Family. Anyone who wishes to spar with me, please step up now.”
His movements and speech were polite yet disciplined.
Everyone hesitated, unsure whether to step forward.
It wasn’t out of fear.
The Namgung Family was a sword family, and most of the young talents from the Nine Great Sects here were also from sword sects.
Beyond a simple clash of pride, they were worried that their relationship might sour.
“Oh dear. It seems no one wishes to step forward…”
Namgung Sang showed a kind smile, then turned directly toward me.
“Then you should come up.”
“……”
Huh? Me?
When I shrugged and tilted my head in confusion, Namgung Sang gestured toward me.
“Come on.”
What was this?
Why did I feel hostility from that guy?
The moment I thought that, I noticed Namgung Sang glancing somewhere.
‘Mong Yeo-rin.’
It was the direction where she was standing.
“Aha.”
I instantly understood the source of this inexplicable hostility.
He must have seen it.
Me talking with Mong Yeo-rin.
‘He misunderstood because I was talking to the woman he likes.’
Tsk.
So he wants to settle it this way?
“Refuse. You can never be a match for Brother Sang.”
Tang Jin spoke worriedly from beside me.
I lifted the sword he had made for me and told him not to worry.
“As the son of a sword family, I cannot avoid a challenge like this.”
Just enough.
I absolutely hated letting things turn into an emotional fight, so I would face him appropriately.
I stepped onto the training platform.