Chapter 21 - Third-Rate Warrior Welcoming an Uninvited Guest (2)

The first to welcome the visitor was Hong Saryeon.

She had just finished her class at Busaeng Hall and was on her way to her personal training when she spotted the visitor.

He wore a high-quality sword at his waist and clothes far more luxurious than any Saryeon owned; his handsome face and tall stature made him look anything but ordinary.

The bold demeanor he displayed, showing no signs of being unaccustomed to a foreign place, made him feel like an extraordinary existence.

Above all, his face looked somewhat familiar, but she could not recall where she had seen him.

"What brings you here?"

"I am looking for someone. Is there perhaps someone by the name of Young Master Jin Sowoon here?"

Saryeon's eyes narrowed at the unexpected words that came out of the noble young master's mouth.

He clearly looked four or five years older than Sowoon, and she wondered when Sowoon had befriended such a person without her knowing.

"For what matter are you looking for him?"

"I came to meet him for a personal matter."

"Senior Brother Jin hasn't returned for several days now. I think you'll have to come back another time."

"Hmm..."

Frustrated by the discourtesy of him not even introducing himself, she had indirectly told him to leave, but the noble young master did not budge.

"Then may I wait here?"

"... Just what are you doing? The Taiyi Sect is not an inn."

Only then did the noble young master look like he realized his mistake.

"Ah, I made a mistake. I will first give my greetings to the Sect Leader and ask for his permission. Could you guide me to the Sect Leader?"

"Look here!"

At the moment Saryeon's patience finally ran out and she snapped with a sharp shout.

The noble young master spoke with a smile on his lips.

"I am Namgung San of the Namgung Clan."

"The Genesis Divine Dragon?"

Only then did Saryeon remember that he had been present at the place where they suffered humiliation at the Iron Sword Sect.

"That is correct. That is me."

* * *

The Taiyi Sect was a bit worked up due to Namgung San's presence.

Gye Cheolyeong was going back and forth until the doors of the guest pavilion nearly wore out, and the Hall Leaders of the other halls also stealthily dropped by to build friendly relations.

The commotion was especially grand among the younger disciples.

A rising expert they had only heard about through the rumors of Jianghu. To have someone famous as a handsome noble young master staying at the Taiyi Sect was simply too much for them to handle.

"Great Hero Namgung San is so cool."

"How nice would it be if I had been born in a place like the Namgung Clan?"

"If only I could learn the Namgung Clan's Cangqiong Boundless Sword Technique at the very least. I hear they strictly select their disciples, right?"

Anyway, I had no guess as to why he would go out of his way to come looking for me.

There was no way he could be connected to Namgung Sangwon.

From the beginning, Namgung Sangwon's goal was for the branch line to suppress the direct line and become the master of the clan.

To Namgung San, who was practically the master of the next generation of the Namgung Clan, he was no different from a sworn mortal enemy.

Did he come to commend me for what I had done, then?

The timing was too soon.

Even if they did know about that matter, would the worldly Namgung Clan send their one and only legitimate heir just to meet a lowly warrior of the Taiyi Sect? And the Genesis Divine Dragon, hailed as the greatest genius of Anhui Province at that?

No reason made sense.

Namgung San coming to visit was something that had never happened in my past life.

For something that didn't happen in my past life to occur in my present life meant there had to be something bridging that gap.

'Something that existed in my past life, but is missing in my present life... or the opposite.'

At the end of those thoughts, I had a hunch.

"... So that was it."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's nothing."

"Just when did you build relations with the Namgung Clan? Do you just go around meeting people every time you go out?"

"It's not like that."

"Anyway, hurry up and go see him. He's already been staying here for a week, so everyone in the Taiyi Sect is feeling uncomfortable."

"Understood."

"That way is the Grand Sage Hall. The guest is staying in the guest pavilion."

"I am going to pay my respects to the Sect Leader first. You go and tell that person that I have returned."

"What? I told you he's been waiting for a week!"

"It was his choice to wait, but since there was no promise made, I will just proceed with my own schedule."

"What! Just what kind of...! And since when did you ever diligently greet the Sect Leader!"

"... I've always been good at doing that. Just go and deliver the news."

Saryeon grumbled, 'If he's just going to come over later anyway, why tell me to go deliver the news...' as she headed toward the guest pavilion.

Upon entering the Grand Sage Hall, I found my father and Hong Mungi conversing about the sect's internal affairs.

"Sect Leader. Your disciple Jin Sowoon has returned from his outing."

At my greeting, both my father and Hong Mungi could not hide the surprise in their eyes.

Seeing them get so surprised made it true that I usually didn't go around greeting people properly, just as Saryeon had said.

"Right, was your trip well?"

Hong Mungi, who recovered his composure first, accepted my greeting with a benevolent smile.

On the other hand, Jin Taesan still could not hide his surprised eyes.

"Goodness, just what in the world happened? To think that you would come all the way here to greet the Sect Leader."

"Father, speaking like that is just spitting on your own face."

"You rotten punk..."

Unlike the hot-tempered Saryeon, Hong Mungi let out an elegant chuckle.

"There is a guest of yours in the guest pavilion. Have you heard?"

"Yes. I have heard."

"Right, then you should go."

"That guest does not have an appointment with me. First, there are a few things I must tell you, so I will take a seat for a moment."

This time, Hong Mungi could not erase his surprised expression either, much like Jin Taesan.

"Uh, could you offer me a cup of tea?"

"You intend to drink tea before you go? You punk, Namgung San is waiting for you."

"Father, what is the Namgung Clan anyway that I should have to rush off to meet him without even reporting to the Sect Leader first? Looking at it, you seem more like a person from the Namgung Clan than the Taiyi Sect."

"Y-You... rotten!"

"Haha, Taesan, I apologize but could you prepare some tea? It would be quite pleasant to drink tea with Sowoon after such a long time."

"Haa."

Jin Taesan prepared the tea with an experienced manner, and soon a steaming cup of tea was placed in front of me.

Skipping the unnecessary details of before and after, I reported the story of rescuing Wang Soso.

"... Hoho, so you suspected the child had been kidnapped, gave chase, and saved her."

"Yes, but during the rescue, it seemed the child was suffering from an illness, so I imparted the Taiyi mental cultivation method to her. I apologize for doing so without receiving permission."

"It is fine. Martial arts are inherently meant to benefit people. If she could be saved with a basic martial art, then you did exactly what you had to do."

Hong Mungi and my father roughly understood it as me having saved a woman from human traffickers, but the reason I deliberately mentioned this was to prevent Wang Geumsan from coming by later and misunderstanding the situation.

"But why did Young Master San of the Namgung Clan come looking for you? Having him occupy the best room in the Taiyi Sect and serving him three meals a day for a week has given us a massive headache."

"Well, who knows? Perhaps he came to learn a thing or two?"

"What?"

It was always entertaining to see my father's face crumple like a sheet of paper.

"Am I not the person who even defeated Seong Mohyeon of the Iron Sword Sect? Plus, I even took away their Ninefold Sword, so wouldn't the worldly Namgung Clan's eldest young master want to learn a thing or two from me as well?"

"Argh! You rotten punk. Get the hell out of here if you're just going to spout nonsense!"

"Yes, Sect Leader. This disciple will now take his leave to welcome the guest."

* * *

Namgung San felt a bizarre emotion.

He had not even seen or spoken to the other party, yet he felt the emotion of anger.

What was even stranger was that the emotion had surged up out of nowhere.

He hadn't felt anger when he first learned of the man's absence.

It was because he had not made any prior appointment with him.

He hadn't felt anger even after spending seven days in a shabby lodging, eating meager meals.

It was because he was the one who had said he would wait. It was because he could not complain that the Taiyi Sect's level of hospitality was merely at this extent.

However, the moment he heard the news that Jin Sowoon had returned to the Taiyi Sect.

Anger flared up from deep within his chest.

This was the first time in his life experiencing such a thing, making it a bewildering situation for him as well.

"What kind of person is Young Master Jin Sowoon?"

He looked at the girl beside him, who was fidgeting restlessly after delivering the news.

Though incomparable to himself, he had taken a slight interest in her, as she was a girl bearing the burden of succeeding her sect.

"Senior Brother? Well, who knows. He's such an unpredictable person."

The girl, who had been furrowing her brow as if talking about something she disliked, grew increasingly animated as her story progressed.

"He does a lot of unpredictable things, but it never seems like he's just doing whatever he wants. Anyway, he cares for the sect's junior disciples a lot. He might lack manners, but he still looks after the elders deeply. Even though he doesn't greet people properly himself, if someone else spouts disrespectful remarks, his eyes will roll back as he pounces on them."

"Your Senior Brother must be quite reliable."

"Eh? What are you talking about? I just told you what he's like."

"Is that so?"

The nameless girl mockingly stuck her tongue out and made a face like she had chewed on a gall bladder.

"I heard you were looking for me."

A young man stepped into the guest pavilion.

He carried an ordinary blue-steel sword at his waist. He wore worn-out but cleanly washed martial robes. Even his neatly tied-up long hair—everything about his appearance seemed thoroughly unremarkable.

'How strange.'

And yet, seeing that sight, Namgung San's emotions boiled and bubbled fiercely like heated iron.

"Are you Jin Sowoon?"

"Did you come looking for me without even knowing who I am?"

The nameless girl, who had been keeping him company, looked back and forth between Jin Sowoon and Namgung San, trying to make sense of the situation.

"I only know of you through the stories that were relayed to me."

"That day... weren't you present at that place?"

"That day?"

"The Iron Sword Sect."

Come to think of it, he felt like he had seen this guy and this nameless girl at the place where the Iron Sword Sect was stripped of their Ninefold Sword.

"Ah! Right. Come to think of it, I was present there as well."

"... Do you have a problem with your memory?"

Could it be that the very existence of Jin Sowoon drew out a sense of repulsion from deep within his heart?

Even to words that seemed to be tossed out meaninglessly, his emotions surged wildly.

"No. It's just that I tend not to pay any attention to things I have zero interest in."

"... But why did you come looking for me?"

Where should he even begin?

From the fact that the item Jin Sowoon possessed originally belonged to him? Or from the fact that Jin Sowoon had intercepted it in the middle?

Namgung San turned his head and spoke to the nameless girl.

"You will leave us for a moment."

"Ah... Yes. Understood."

"What did you just say?"

Jin Sowoon frowned heavily.

For a moment, Namgung San felt a sense of Did I do something wrong?

However, there was absolutely nothing wrong with what he did.

"What I have to discuss with you is important, so I asked her to leave us for a moment."

"'You will leave' is an order. Not a request."

"... U-Uh. S-Senior Brother. Why are you acting like this? I'm fine. Please, have your chat. I'll be going now."

Bewildered, the nameless girl hurriedly left the area.

The one called Jin Sowoon blankly stared at the back of the retreating girl.

"What exactly did I do wrong?"

"Does the Genesis Divine Dragon not even know the difference between 'you will leave' and 'would you leave'?"

"..."

Only then was Namgung San able to understand the cause behind all his feelings of displeasure, anger, irritation, and rage.

"You... are quite arrogant."

The emotions he had felt from everyone present in the Taiyi Sect.

Veneration, awe, fear, respect, reverence, and praise.

He could not find even a speck of those things in Jin Sowoon.

Instead, he was exuding emotions Namgung San had never experienced in his entire life, such as contempt, disdain, belittlement, and insult.

"How strange. When did the Namgung Clan become the Imperial Family?"

"..."

Namgung San decided to leave it at that.

It was because he felt that he might actually lose his temper if he continued conversing with Jin Sowoon any longer.

In a way, he could also understand Jin Sowoon's feelings.

There were those kinds of people. Those who, due to their own insignificant presence, would display hostility upon encountering a massive opponent.

Those who feared even more precisely because they knew nothing.

Being considerate of such people was also a virtue of the strong.

"The reason I came..."

"Isn't it because of the Admission Token?"

"!!!"

This guy, did he know from the very beginning?

* * *

What other reason would Namgung San—who hadn't had an ounce of interest in the Taiyi Sect back at the Iron Sword Sect—have for visiting the Taiyi Sect?

Most of the spiritual elixirs and secret manuals I had obtained were things no one knew about, so in the end, if I had to pick out the things I acquired that someone did know about, it would only be the Steel Protection Pill and the Admission Token.

There was no way the legitimate heir of the Namgung Clan came because he missed a Steel Protection Pill, which left only the Admission Token.

His attitude was quite brazen indeed.

He had surely come here to ask for a favor, yet there was not a trace of it in his demeanor.

He merely looked to be firmly convinced that I would hand it over just because he asked.

"That was originally mine."

The way he spoke was in a matter-of-fact tone, like he was demanding the repayment of a loaned sum.

I hadn't had any intention of giving it to him anyway, but seeing him act like this, I couldn't help but feel my stomach churn even more.

"The Chief Strategist made no mention of such a thing."

"It was an item I had requested from the start, and that is why it ended up falling into your hands."

If the Chief Strategist had made a firm promise to Namgung San, there would be no reason for Namgung San to come to me and ask for the Admission Token back.

Because the Chief Strategist could have just made another one to give to him.

Ultimately, the Chief Strategist, who had intended to give the Admission Token to Namgung San, must have thought it wouldn't matter much if he gave it to me instead.

The conclusion was that the Admission Token did not belong to Namgung San.

"How strange. If it was so certainly the Great Hero's, why did the Chief Strategist give it to me? It seems to me you should be taking issue with the Chief Strategist over this matter, not me. Or could it be that you found the Chief Strategist too much to handle, and came here because the Taiyi Sect is an easy target?"

Namgung San let out a long sigh.

"You have quite the knack for getting on someone's nerves."

"Since my words don't stray from logic, if they got on your nerves, then that must be the Great Hero's problem."

"Of course, I am not asking you to simply hand it over for nothing."

"..."

"I came prepared to pay a sufficient price. This is a jewel called the Seven-Color Treasure Pearl. It is a precious treasure that could buy at least one ninety-nine-room mansion. I shall give you this."

A jewel radiating seven colors shone brilliantly atop Namgung San's palm.

According to my memories, it was a treasure valuable enough to buy three ninety-nine-room mansions.

"The reason I did not come in the name of my noble clan and make this a public issue was all for the sake of the Taiyi Sect and you. If the people of Jianghu knew that you coveted what belongs to the Namgung Clan, how exactly would they view you, and how would they view your sect, the Taiyi Sect?"

Just as he said, if he made it a public issue, the matter would blow up.

And the narrative of the Namgung Clan would spread even more forcefully, suffocating the Taiyi Sect.

Furthermore, he wasn't asking for it for free and even offered to give the Seven-Color Treasure Pearl, so it would hardly be enough even if I expressed my utmost gratitude to him.

"Cut the bullshit."

"... What?"

I meant to express my gratitude, but my true feelings slipped out instead.

"Well, do as you please."

"Do you think... I wouldn't do it?"

"The Taiyi Sect is not such a small sect. You are underestimating me far too much for someone who is affiliated with such a place."

"... So you wish for this to become a major incident. Will you be able to handle the Namgung Clan?"

"Even if I can't handle it, you still won't be retrieving the Admission Token."

"..."

"And you had best choose wisely. The Iron Sword Sect acted just like you are now, Great Hero, and was stripped of their Ninefold Sword."

"...!"

Namgung San's face stiffened rigidly for the very first time.