Chapter 9

Where had things changed?

In my previous life, Gye Cheol-yeong had dragged me to this gathering even though I had done nothing.

He had wanted to show everyone that, despite being only a lay disciple, he was far more impressive than a true disciple of the Taeul Sect.

So what was different this time?

Was it because I had defeated him?

Or because I had humiliated Seong Ju-tak in front of everyone?

And if those events had changed, would everything that followed change as well?

“What are you thinking about?”

As we left the guest quarters, Jin Tae-san spoke in a worried voice.

“Do not let their cruel words get to you.”

In other words, he wanted me to ignore whatever insults they threw at me.

But ignoring a problem did not make it disappear.

“I was wondering what kind of trap the Iron Sword Sect has prepared for us.”

Seong Mo-ran’s pleasant expression immediately stiffened.

“Do you truly believe the Iron Sword Sect would invite guests here only to trap them?”

“Do you genuinely know nothing, or has your acting already surpassed your swordsmanship?”

“Hah. You spoke like this during the day as well. It seems you have a severe inferiority complex toward the Iron Sword Sect.”

“Inferiority?”

Hostility appeared in Seong Mo-ran’s eyes.

“It is true that the Iron Sword Sect considers the Taeul Sect a nuisance. But would the Taeul Sect feel any differently if our positions were reversed?”

She continued coldly,

“Even so, the Iron Sword Sect is not a gathering of common thugs.”

“Are you certain?”

“……You are crossing the line.”

“Then allow me to make a prediction.”

I met her gaze.

“Before this sixtieth-birthday banquet ends, the Iron Sword Sect will drag the Taeul Sect before everyone and force us to kneel.”

“The Iron Sword Sect is not so petty.”

“I sincerely hope you are right.”

“……”

Seong Mo-ran said nothing more for the rest of the walk.

The hall she led us to was one of the largest in the estate.

Unlike the crowded dining area we had visited earlier, the tables here were widely spaced.

Young men and women sat around them, drinking wine and speaking with practiced elegance.

“Oh! Young Lady Mo-ran!”

The men immediately rose and hurried to make room for her.

Seong Mo-ran barely glanced at them.

“This is Young Master Jin So-un of the Taeul Sect.”

She introduced me naturally.

I clasped my fists in greeting, but only a few people returned the courtesy.

Those who merely nodded were among the more polite ones.

The rest continued speaking to Seong Mo-ran as though I did not exist.

She headed toward the two seats that had been cleared for us, but I left her side and sat beside Sa-ryeon, who was seated next to Gye Cheol-yeong.

“Why are you sitting here when there is plenty of room over there?”

“Someone needs to protect Sa-ryeon from drunken men.”

“Did it not occur to you that I am sitting beside her for that very reason?”

“If you truly intended to protect her, why did you bring her to a gathering like this so late at night?”

“You brat……”

Gye Cheol-yeong’s face shifted from red to pale and back again.

Sa-ryeon, whose expression had been stiff until then, quietly asked,

“Why did you come?”

“Why did you?”

“I came in your place because I thought you would cause trouble if you attended. Hall Master Kang told you to restrain yourself.”

“When have I ever caused trouble?”

For some reason, that harmless remark made Sa-ryeon laugh softly.

“It seems the Taeul Sect places little importance on the distinction between senior and junior disciples.”

A man dressed extravagantly in jade-colored silk spoke with a sneer.

Gong Chu-sim of Longevity Manor.

I had met him in my previous life.

“We observe proper courtesy. We simply do not believe respect requires keeping unnecessary distance.”

“When proper courtesy disappears, people often mistake rudeness for closeness.”

Gong Chu-sim spoke while glancing at the women around him, clearly hoping for their approval.

None of them met his eyes.

“When a father and son speak casually, no one calls it disrespectful. Likewise, lecturing a stranger about manners does not make you a courteous person.”

“……”

Several women laughed softly at my reply.

“Besides, I find it difficult to trust the manners of someone who did not even clasp his fists when greeting a person he had just met.”

This time, even those who had been holding back burst into laughter.

Gong Chu-sim’s face turned bright red.

The expressions of the other men began to change.

They exchanged glances and quietly placed their wine cups on the table.

‘So it begins.’

The same thing had happened in my previous life.

Back then, however, I had been too focused on Namgung San to understand what those signals meant.

I waited for them to make their move and turned my attention toward him.

Namgung San, the Heaven-Opening Divine Dragon.

As the eldest son of the Namgung Clan and a member of the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, he was considered one of Anhui’s greatest young talents.

He was also the most influential person at this gathering.

That much was obvious from the way Seong Mo-hyeon, the wretched Blood Wolf Iron Sword, was forcing himself to act dignified despite looking like a common thug.

“Now that I think about it, this truly is strange.”

Bamboo Flame Young Master Gu Yang-sa of Blue Bamboo Fortress—the man who had clashed with us earlier that day—spoke up.

“I know the Gyeryong Merchant Guild has maintained close ties with the Iron Sword Sect for many years. Yet in the end, it chose the Taeul Sect instead. The prestige of the One Hundred Eight Peaks must truly be impressive.”

“……”

Gu Yang-sa glanced at Seong Mo-hyeon before continuing.

“To be honest, Blue Bamboo Fortress is in a similar position. Still, are the standards for choosing the One Hundred Eight Peaks not somewhat unclear?”

He gave a faint smile.

“Hefei already has an outstanding Orthodox Path sect in the Iron Sword Sect, yet the Taeul Sect continues to hold its place among the One Hundred Eight Peaks. It seems the Murim Alliance still has much to improve.”

As soon as Gu Yang-sa finished, the other men voiced their agreement.

“He is right. The Murim Alliance must change. How many unqualified sects abuse the authority granted by their position among the One Hundred Eight Peaks?”

“Indeed.”

Each time one of them spoke, he glanced toward Seong Mo-hyeon.

They had clearly prepared this beforehand.

Meanwhile, Seong Mo-hyeon calmly sipped his wine as though the conversation had nothing to do with him.

“The disciples of the Taeul Sect are sitting among us. Everyone, please restrain yourselves.”

Seong Mo-ran spoke coldly, her expression stiff.

But none of them seemed afraid of her.

After all, they were clearly acting with Seong Mo-hyeon’s approval.

“To be honest, Young Lady Mo-ran, do you not find it unfair?”

Another man leaned forward.

“When you look across Anhui, most of its finest young talents belong to either the Namgung Clan or the Iron Sword Sect. Yet it is the Taeul Sect that can easily send someone to the Murim Academy.”

He shook his head.

“Surely, such a system needs to be changed.”

“That is true.”

“How many talented young martial artists lose their lives every year while taking the Murim Academy’s entrance examination?”

As the others nodded in agreement, Sa-ryeon’s expression darkened.

“Why not hear what the Taeul Sect has to say as well?”

When Gu Yang-sa continued pressing the issue, Seong Mo-ran stepped in once more.

“That is enough. They are guests of the Iron Sword Sect.”

Someone as perceptive as Seong Mo-ran could not have failed to notice that everyone present was following Seong Mo-hyeon’s lead.

And Seong Mo-hyeon was not foolish enough to cause such a scene by himself during his grandfather’s sixtieth-birthday banquet.

The Elders of the Iron Sword Sect had most likely approved everything beforehand.

Even so, Seong Mo-ran continued defending us. She could not believe that her own sect would behave like a gang of common thugs.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what they were doing.

“Mo-ran, stop interrupting. Did we not gather here to have a constructive discussion?”

Seong Mo-hyeon, who had been silently drinking while pretending to be dignified, finally spoke with a frown.

Seong Mo-ran stared at him in disbelief.

“You call this constructive?”

Because she was a woman, she had always been excluded from the Iron Sword Sect’s important affairs.

She probably knew nothing about their plan.

“Let us hear what the Taeul Sect has to say.”

At Seong Mo-hyeon’s words, Sa-ryeon looked ready to respond, but she could not find the words.

I placed the chicken in my hand down and answered in her place.

“I agree. A pond can remain clear only if fresh water continues flowing into it.”

Even Namgung San lowered his wine cup and glanced at me.

“Oh? Then the Taeul Sect agrees that Hefei’s Iron Sword Sect should replace it among the One Hundred Eight Peaks.”

Gu Yang-sa spoke with a mocking smile.

I immediately searched through the vast library inside my mind for information on Blue Bamboo Fortress.

Mantongbu had kept records on martial factions throughout Jianghu.

Since Blue Bamboo Fortress had been involved in several notable incidents, its records had been updated fairly recently.

It did not take long to find what I needed.

“Of course—provided that the new water is clean.”

“Hm?”

“Take Blue Bamboo Fortress, for example. It has grown into a powerful faction within Anhui. Judging by strength alone, it should be more than qualified to join the One Hundred Eight Peaks.”

I looked directly at Gu Yang-sa.

“Then why has it never been accepted?”

“Because the current members of the One Hundred Eight Peaks have spent years flattering the Murim Alliance.”

The men around Gu Yang-sa immediately burst into laughter.

“I wonder about that. If the Murim Alliance were truly such a useless organization, it would have collapsed long ago.”

Gu Yang-sa’s expression stiffened.

“Are you saying there is another reason Blue Bamboo Fortress has never joined the One Hundred Eight Peaks?”

“The Blue Bamboo Blood Calamity from sixty years ago.”

“……”

The people gathered in the hall looked at one another in confusion.

Naturally, none of them knew about it.

The incident had taken place long before they were born, and Blue Bamboo Fortress had done everything it could to bury the truth.

“Has no one here heard of it? The brothers of Blue Bamboo Fortress turned their swords against one another over the position of Fortress Master.”

The noisy hall fell silent as though cold water had been poured over it.

“To be precise, the Fortress Master’s second son coveted the position he could not inherit. He murdered his elder brother and seized control of the fortress. Half of Blue Bamboo Fortress’s warriors died in the conflict, did they not?”

“You bastard!”

Crash!

Gu Yang-sa sprang to his feet, knocking over the table before him.

His grandfather, Gu Jeong-gi, had murdered his elder brother to become Fortress Master.

To prevent future trouble, he had also wiped out his brother’s entire bloodline and killed everyone who had supported him.

Ironically, after taking control, he restored the tradition of passing the position down to the eldest son.

It was one of the most shameful secrets in the history of Blue Bamboo Fortress.

“Blue Bamboo Fortress is certainly powerful. But if I were asked to trust its warriors with my back while fighting the Black Path……”

I slowly shook my head.

“I would rather enter the battlefield alone. Can you truly blame the Murim Alliance for hesitating to accept such people as blood allies?”

“Come outside! Do you think you can insult Blue Bamboo Fortress and leave here alive?”

“Look at that. I merely expressed an opinion, yet he immediately reaches for his sword.”

Gu Yang-sa’s face had gone beyond red. It looked ready to burst.

“It is not as though the members of the One Hundred Eight Peaks can never be replaced. Nor does the Murim Alliance ignore those that have declined.”

I looked around the hall.

“If you are dissatisfied with the system, perhaps the problem does not lie with the system itself.”

My gaze returned to Gu Yang-sa.

“Perhaps you simply refuse to admit your own shortcomings.”

“I will kill you!”

Gu Yang-sa lunged at me.

Before he could take more than a single step, Seong Mo-ran rose and struck his paralysis acupoint from behind.

Everything happened in an instant, throwing the entire hall into chaos.

“……What do you think you are doing?”

Seong Mo-hyeon finally reacted and glared at me coldly.

“Gu Yang-sa of Blue Bamboo Fortress is a guest invited by the Iron Sword Sect. Are you showing contempt for our sect?”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“Then was the Taeul Sect not invited as well?”

“……”

“Did we force our way into this banquet without an invitation?”

I continued before he could answer.

“You pressured the Taeul Sect into attending through the Gyeryong Merchant Guild, even though we were reluctant to come. Then you gathered us here only to humiliate us.”

My gaze swept across Seong Mo-hyeon and everyone who had joined his scheme.

“Is this how the Iron Sword Sect treats the guests it invited?”

“What did you say……?”

Hostility filled their faces, but none of them could offer a proper response.

To anyone watching, the Iron Sword Sect and its allies were clearly the ones responsible for starting this confrontation.

Even if they tried to settle the matter through force, Namgung San of the Namgung Clan stood among them like an immovable wall.

“……You dare insult the Iron Sword Sect within its own walls?”

“Pfft.”

After thinking for so long, that was the best Seong Mo-hyeon could come up with.

The absurdity of it made me burst out laughing.

Even Seong Mo-ran looked dumbfounded.

“You wretch!”

Seong Mo-hyeon’s face turned as red as a ripe persimmon.

He slammed his hand against the table, sending the dishes jumping into the air.

“If you planned to behave this shamelessly, why did you not simply request a friendly spar from the beginning? You could have proven that the Iron Sword Sect was stronger than the Taeul Sect.”

When logic failed, anger always took its place.

“You dare! Do you think you can speak like this inside the Iron Sword Sect and leave unharmed?”

“Ah, I understand now.”

I nodded as though I had finally realized something.

“A friendly spar would not have been enough. Your true goal was to humiliate us, create an excuse to attack us, and then strip the Taeul Sect of its position among the One Hundred Eight Peaks.”

“……”

The situation had already gone far beyond anyone’s control.

Seong Mo-hyeon tried to guide the conversation back toward the path they had prepared, but I had no intention of following their script.

“……Whatever the circumstances, you have insulted the Iron Sword Sect.”

He glared at me.

“I challenge you to a duel.”

“……”

Seong Mo-ran’s expression darkened.

She had clearly realized that Seong Mo-hyeon had made a terrible decision.

“Ha ha ha ha ha!”

“……”

The people who had looked down on us only moments earlier now watched me with a faint trace of fear.

I could not say I disliked it.

I stopped laughing and looked at Seong Mo-ran.

“In the end, I was right, was I not?”

“……”

Seong Mo-ran could not bring herself to meet my gaze.

“Tomorrow, at the Hour of the Horse, in the central training ground. The banquet should be at its height by then, so plenty of people will be there to watch.”

“……Very well.”

Seong Mo-hyeon ground his teeth as he agreed.

I rose from my seat, and Sa-ryeon quickly followed.

Gye Cheol-yeong remained seated, making it clear that he wanted nothing to do with us.

“Come to think of it, this estate is overflowing with guests, yet no banquet tables were placed in the central training ground.”

I glanced around the hall.

“It almost seems as though the Iron Sword Sect knew in advance that blood would be spilled during the sixtieth-birthday celebration.”

“……”

Everyone fell silent and turned toward Seong Mo-hyeon.

Namgung San showed no reaction.

He merely continued drinking, watching the situation as though it had nothing to do with him.

To someone of his standing, a dispute between two members of the One Hundred Eight Peaks was probably nothing more than lesser factions fighting over scraps.

Even so, his complete silence felt strange.

Had he not supposedly come here as a friend?

“What in the world were you thinking?”

Sa-ryeon’s face had gone pale.

“Was I supposed to sit there quietly while they insulted the Sect Leader and the Taeul Sect?”

“But……”

“Even if we endured it tonight, it would not end there. The banquet will continue for several more days. They would humiliate us again tomorrow, and then again the day after.”

In my previous life, I had finally lost my temper on the third day.

This confrontation had always been inevitable.

It was not really my fault, but I still tried to reassure her.

“Do not worry. Once I take a few good hits, the matter should end cleanly.”

I reached out and stroked her head.

When she was younger, Sa-ryeon had always liked that.

“……Stop.”

“It was going to happen sooner or later.”

“I said stop ruining my hair……”

Only then did I notice that my hand had completely messed up her carefully arranged hair.

“Ah. That was my fault. Sorry.”

Sa-ryeon suddenly lowered her head, her shoulders beginning to tremble.

“Hm? Are you crying?”

I hurriedly tried to smooth her hair back into place, but she still refused to raise her head.

“Do not cry. Look, I fixed it.”

“I told you not to…… You really are……”

In the end, Sa-ryeon burst into tears and buried her face against my chest.

My shoulder quickly became damp.

“I-I said I was sorry.”

Perhaps because she had entered adolescence, her emotions were even harder to understand than the Iron Sword Sect’s schemes.

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