Chapter 368: Orthodox Sect Gathering. (9)

Hanam, called the most developed city, shone brightly as always.

Unlike other places that naturally darkened when night fell, Hanam was always illuminated.

A string stretched between the buildings.

The paper lanterns hanging from the string illuminated the city, preventing it from being swallowed by darkness. Thanks to them, Hanam was still bustling with street vendors lining the streets and people enjoying themselves even after nightfall.

I weaved through the crowds, moving forward slowly.

Holding tightly onto my bamboo hat, lest it fall off.

Honestly, even that made me anxious, so I used my concealment technique to slightly erase my presence.

For an ordinary person without such skills, I probably wouldn’t be remembered unless they saw my face right up close.

Furthermore, they likely wouldn’t even properly recognize my existence.

In that sense.

I knew the person following me was no ordinary individual from the moment we met.

He was a man who called me out specifically, even though I’d done my best to mask my presence.

The same person who had asked for directions just before, saying he needed to go to Baekrim Inn.

I hadn’t examined him closely, but I could tell he was a powerful martial artist.

The energy I sensed from him was sharp.

His gait and unique breathing pattern indicated he was a swordsman;

Even if that weren’t the case, the sword hanging at his waist confirmed he was a swordsman.

His cultivation level was, at the very least, Mature Peak.

He might have reached Hwayeong, but the fact that I couldn’t properly gauge it meant he was likely concealing his level.

And the fact that he couldn’t hide it from me…

Truly meant he was, at the very least, Mature Peak.

Who could he be?

A martial artist of this caliber should be fairly well-known. It was difficult to tell just from his aura.

What was surprising, however, was this.

“So, you see, my daughter….”

“…”

The man, whose aura felt sharp and heavy, was, contrary to expectations, quite talkative.

Most of it was about his daughter,

And he was annoyingly talkative, from my perspective.

“She was cute already, but lately, she’s become even prettier….”

“I see.”

“She takes after her mother, so adorable.”

His voice held a hint of laughter; he seemed quite fond of his daughter.

A daughter.

‘So, the female martial artist staying at Baekrim Inn is his daughter?’

A few possibilities came to mind.

Not many women had joined Shinryong-gwan, after all.

And finding a martial artist who used a sword among them was even easier.

Of course, just because a father uses a sword doesn’t mean his child automatically will.

Take Gu-gu, for instance; they are opposites, but while the father is a martial arts practitioner, Gu Huibi is renowned as a swordsman.

‘Who could it be? Yeon family? Seon family?’

He felt like someone from a prominent family.

Although I knew a bit, I wasn’t exactly a womanizer, so I didn’t memorize every woman’s family name.

Only about five came to mind.

Judging by the laughter in his voice, he seemed to be the family member of a survivor, thankfully.

I subtly glanced his way, observing the man.

He wore his bamboo hat low, obscuring his face.

Though I doubted he’d recognize me even if he saw my face…

If I boosted my energy sensing with my concealment technique, I could see it.

But then, that man would also notice I was trying to look at his face.

That could offend him, so it wasn’t worth trying just out of curiosity.

The reason I, who normally had no interest in others’ affairs, was curious about this man was simple.

‘…Perhaps….’

Perhaps he was the family member of someone close to me?

Word had spread that the heads of the Four Great Families, renowned clans, were all attending.

Three of them were involved with me, and if he had a daughter, I couldn’t help but wonder.

However, I didn’t dwell on that thought for long.

‘With seven days still remaining, there’s no way anyone would have arrived already.’

The Four Great Families were the most prestigious among the prestigious families.

That meant their heads were individuals who had to uphold immense prestige and reputation.

It implied they were full of people with considerable pride.

Was this just a prejudice? I didn’t think so.

The situation was already rife with power struggles.

The Orthodox Gathering was a crucial point for such conflicts.

The first battle they would engage in here.

Hilariously, it would be about who arrived first.

Not arriving late, but definitely not arriving first.

You might wonder what kind of battle that is.

It was something that happened subtly quite often.

Pathetically so.

And in the midst of this, if someone arrived early with seven days still left?

It was unthinkable among people who had been locked in a pride battle their entire lives.

‘So, this fellow isn’t one of them, surely.’

His clothes suggested the same. Despite the aura, his attire was quite shabby.

Calling him a member of a prestigious family, that is.

Would a family head arrive without a carriage or servants, asking strangers for directions?

Surely not.

As I quickened my pace with that thought.

A question came from the man behind me.

“May I ask, Young Hero, what business you have at the inn?”

“…I have a friend there.”

“A friend, I see.”

Judging by his words, he didn’t seem to think I was a resident student staying there.

“Young Hero.”

“Yes.”

Annoying, why does he keep talking to me?

“By any chance, do you know of a late-stage disciple with the nickname ‘So Yeomra’ (Little Yama)?”

“…”

At the man’s question, I couldn’t help but shrug my shoulders. The nickname alone was enough to make my ears burn.

“…Why do you ask?”

“Ah, it’s just that I heard he’s a famous martial artist in Hanam recently.”

“…He is… famous. Based on ridiculous rumors.”

Damn it.

In my entire life, I never thought I’d hear myself talked about like this from someone else’s mouth.

The man seemed to have no idea that I was So Yeom… no, that guy.

“A bubble, you say? Do you think so too, Young Hero?”

“Yes. It’s a bubble. A very big bubble.”

As I said that, the man suddenly patted my shoulder vigorously.

What the hell is wrong with this guy?

Confused, I looked at the man, and he seemed quite excited.

“A young person with such deep thoughts. I like it very much.”

“…Suddenly?”

Deep thoughts? Where did he see deep thoughts? All I said was that the rumors about me were full of bubbles.

‘Is he out of his mind?’

Thinking that, I unconsciously widened the distance slightly.

It would be better to just take him there quickly and part ways.

I quickened my pace.

The distance to the inn wasn’t far, but the sheer number of people gathered made it feel a bit bothersome.

Hanam was always a crowded place, but.

It was especially crowded this time.

The reason was obvious: the gathering.

More precisely, it was the people who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the influential figures attending the meeting.

Most of the monsters called ‘Kings’ of the current era were attending,

Half of the Ten Great Masters, and many ranked among the Hundred Great Masters were attending this gathering.

Monsters rarely seen elsewhere were converging, so people gathered with eyes blazing, eager to watch.

As they gathered one by one, this chaos had ensued seven days prior.

“Young Hero.”

As I hurried along, the man spoke to me again.

Should I just tell him to stop bothering me out of annoyance?

“Young Hero, do you happen to have a fiancée?”

Is he seriously asking about my personal life now?

“…I have a fiancée.”

And I’m answering him.

“I see. Do you like your fiancée?”

“Well, I don’t dislike her.”

Why is he asking such pointless questions?

Suffocating me like this.

Hearing my answer, the man suddenly fell silent. Was he done talking?

“My daughter, you see…”

He wasn’t.

Here we go again. How much further to the inn?

‘Not much further.’

From now on, I decided not to answer and just keep walking.

The best strategy was to get there quickly and leave.

“My kind and beautiful daughter seems to have fallen for some good-for-nothing guy.”

“Haha. I see.”

That’s definitely personal business.

While I thought he must be quite frustrated to bring it up, I didn’t want to hear it as I wasn’t interested at all.

“He apparently said he’d break up with his fiancée and date my daughter…”

“I see.”

But the content was strangely catching my ear.

A guy with a fiancée, and his daughter likes him?

His daughter must be out of her mind too. Why would she like someone like that?

“He apparently said he’d break up with his fiancée and date my daughter… What a damn bastard, don’t you think?”

“He’s a crazy bastard.”

Truly a crazy bastard.

Not only did he seduce another woman while having a fiancée.

Was he planning to break up with his fiancée and then date that woman again?

‘How amazing must he be to pull that off?’

He probably looks tall and handsome. Whoever he is, he must live a very easy life.

In the meantime, the woman who gave her heart to such a scoundrel is also quite pitiful.

A guy like that would quickly abandon his current woman and seek another.

It was a predictable tale of infidelity.

‘Tsk, tsk.’

She must be a young woman who knows nothing of the world yet.

Kids these days… Just hearing about it makes my head spin.

Of course, if you asked me if I had much experience with that, I wouldn’t have much to say.

“You must be going through a lot of emotional turmoil.”

I had intended not to engage, but the situation was so pitiful that I added a word.

“I’m truly grateful you understand… And also…”

“What else is there…?”

“No, I heard rumors that besides our daughter, he’s seeing other women.”

“…He’s amazing in many ways.”

Not just one or two, but more?

Wow, he really is amazing. How can he do that?

That must be a talent in itself.

‘Should I be envious of that?’

If I were a man, it would be a talent worth envying, but.

Why doesn’t it feel particularly enviable?

As I thought that with a sense of detachment.

The man continued speaking.

“For my… daughter’s sake, I tried to overlook it, but if the rumors are true…”

‘If they’re true?’

“I intend to break his limbs. No matter what.”

His voice was filled with murderous intent. He seemed completely serious.

Then again, I haven’t had children, but.

If that situation were true, I too would probably grab that crazy bastard and tear him apart alive.

“I see…. I hope you achieve your goal.”

“It must have been pointless talk. Thank you for listening, Young Hero.”

He seemed to vaguely realize he was rambling about strange things.

Hearing that, I let out a chuckle.

“It was somewhat entertaining.”

A lie.

It wasn’t entertaining at all, but since we were about to part ways anyway, I just played along.

The time to part ways meant we had arrived at Baekrim Inn.

Wasn’t it the largest inn in Hanam? The inn Moyong Heea told me about before was also quite large and nice.

This one was pretty decent too.

The food was particularly delicious.

‘Are the kids waiting?’

Lately, I’d been doing crazy things in the mountains, so my meal times were all over the place. I told them to eat without me if possible, but.

They didn’t. My companions always waited for me to arrive.

Which meant I was trying to return as quickly as possible. If they intended this, then that itself was quite impressive.

I grasped the doorknob of Baekrim Inn. Then, the man spoke to me.

“Thank you for guiding me. If the time comes, I shall offer my gratitude.”

Hearing that, I opened the door.

Kkiiik-

The door opened, revealing the inn’s interior.

“There’s no need for gratitude. We were headed the same way anyway.”

I said that because I didn’t want further entanglement, but the man seemed to take it differently, and I heard a slight chuckle.

“That cannot be. If one receives a favor, it is only right to repay it tenfold. I swear upon my name, Moyong Tae, I will surely offer my gratitude to you, Young Hero.”

“No, really, there’s no need… Huh?”

The moment I opened the door and stepped inside quickly. My body froze stiff.

…Just now.

What did this old man say? How did he introduce himself?

“Moyong…?”

“Gongjanim!”

A familiar voice reached my ears. It was Moyong Heea.

She seemed to have spotted me from afar and ran towards me as if sprinting.

“It’s a disaster…. I just received word that my father has arrived in Hanam… Huh?”

Moyong Heea, rarely seen so flustered and fidgeting before me,

Froze like a statue upon seeing the man who followed behind me, just like I did.

Confirming that, I turned my head back.

Kkigig.

My turning neck moved stiffly, as if rusted.

I forced myself to turn my head and confirm the face beyond the man’s bamboo hat.

A sharp nose and thick eyebrows.

A middle-aged man with eyes as cold as frost.

And from his appearance, which exuded an aura that was sharp yet soft, and gentle yet cold.

I could spot Moyong Heea standing before me.

“…Fa…ther?”

Moyong Heea spoke to the middle-aged man in a trembling voice.

As soon as I heard that, my mind went completely blank.

Meanwhile, the man’s gaze also turned towards me.

Eyes like frost shards.

“Young Hero.”

The voice calling me was completely different from before.

The man who had been rambling about his daughter had a gentle voice, full of fatherly affection, but.

Now.

His voice sounded like he was suppressing bursting emotions.

“…Uh… Uh?”

“Now that I ask…”

Thump.

The man’s hand rested lightly on my shoulder.

It felt like he placed it gently, but was my shoulder about to dislocate? Was that my imagination?

“What is your name?”

“…”

At the question filled with murderous intent, I couldn’t help but nod.

Ah, I see. This is, inevitably.

I was in deep, deep shit.