Chapter 121

It had been a fierce battle—fierce enough to leave mountains of corpses and rivers of blood—yet most of the Mount Heng Sword Sect’s buildings remained largely intact.

Like this pavilion, for instance.

I collapsed into a chair and leaned back.

“Ugh. I’m dying.”

Exhaustion always followed a major battle like the one we had just fought.

Leveling up could restore my physical fatigue, but it couldn’t do anything about mental fatigue.

And after skirting the brink of death like I had today, it was even worse.

That was seriously dangerous.

Jopil. The Head Elder. Pung Yang.

Nothing good had ever come from getting tangled up with Peak masters. More than once, I’d found myself wishing I had about five lives.

“Squad Leader, thank you for your hard work.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Whew, your shoulders are really tense.”

Hyuk Mujin sidled up and began massaging my shoulders.

Wolhwa and Hyuk Mujin had been protecting Cheol Mubaek outside before joining the survivor search once things had more or less settled down.

“If I’d been there, I would’ve really laid into that bastard Pung Yang. You know what I mean, right?”

“Of course. You would’ve gotten yourself killed on the spot.”

“……”

“What? Come on, massage a little harder.”

Hyuk Mujin grumbled, but he put more strength into his hands and kneaded my shoulders.

“What about Jin Mukyung? I mean, my second brother?”

“We’ve already moved him elsewhere. The physicians said there’s no need to worry. They also said the other wounded are recovering quickly.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“Aren’t they quacks? I heard the Second Young Master and Great Hero Cheol Mubaek both suffered fairly serious Internal Injuries.”

“They were sent by the Lower District Sect. Let’s trust their skills.”

In truth, it wasn’t the physicians I trusted. It was the efficacy of the Items.

If not for the Superior Wound Medicine, which could heal most wounds within a few days, and the Ten-Year He Shouwu, which was exceptionally effective at treating Internal Injuries, some of them would already have crossed the River Jordan.

I’ve given them the minimum emergency treatment. The physicians can take care of the rest.

The Lower District Sect—or rather, Wolhwa—had moved quickly without any of us realizing it. Several days ago, when she sent one of her subordinates back from the shrine, she had apparently issued a mobilization order to a nearby branch.

The Lower District Sect’s support force arrived half a day after the battle ended and immediately began dealing with the aftermath.

While everyone else was looking ahead, she was thinking about what came after.

The Lower District Sect’s support force had been organized for relief work, not combat.

They had brought physicians, cooks, and even laborers. Their foresight and preparation were enough to make me marvel.

She really isn’t an ordinary person.

The Lower District Sect was both an information organization found throughout the land and a Murim sect.

Wolhwa had become a Branch Leader in a sect of that size while still in her mid-to-late twenties. There was no way she was ordinary.

Come to think of it, Wolhwa isn’t even her real name.

The name I’d discovered through Qi Sense was Eun Sowol. As for why she had gone out of her way to hide it from us, I figured it was something like using a code name in a spy movie.

One thing was certain: making an enemy of someone that capable would be exhausting.

Don’t get too close. Keep a reasonable distance and maintain proper boundaries. Yeah, that should be about right.

Fortunately, that wouldn’t be too difficult. Wolhwa had shown me inexplicable goodwill and curiosity from the very beginning.

Whether those were genuine feelings or simply the curiosity of a veteran information merchant was something I would have to watch a little longer to determine.

“Mujin-ah.”

“Should I massage harder?”

“No, not that. What do you think of Young Lady Wolhwa?”

“She’s pretty.”

“And?”

Hyuk Mujin thought hard before answering.

“She’s extremely pretty.”

“……”

“Massage my forearms instead of my shoulders.”

I was the idiot for asking that guy anything.

Hyuk Mujin looked wounded and was about to retort when light footsteps slowly approached and stopped in front of the door.

Wolhwa?

No. The qi I sensed outside the door was far weaker and smaller than Wolhwa’s.

After a brief silence, an unexpected guest spoke.

“Young Master Jin, may I come in?”

The voice was clear and distinct.

It was Lee Seowol.

Once Hyuk Mujin left the pavilion, Lee Seowol and I were alone.

I gazed out the window at the slowly darkening sky and cleared my throat for no reason.

“Ahem. Ahem.”

Being alone with a woman at this hour—especially a stunning beauty—was a trial in itself.

Worse yet, she was the Sect Leader of the Mount Heng Sword Sect, whom we had been fighting like sworn enemies until recently.

They said new wine belonged in new wineskins, but she was the only daughter of Lee Cheonbaek, the man who had tried to bring down the Jin Family of Taiyuan, and she and I were already entangled in a scandal.

What the hell am I supposed to say?

May the deceased rest in peace?

No. That would make the atmosphere far too heavy. As if losing her family recently hadn’t been enough, she had also lost most of her subordinates in the battle against Pung Yang.

After agonizing over it, I finally opened my mouth.

“Have you eaten?”

“……”

“I know you’ve been through something difficult, but it’s even more important to keep your strength up at times like this, so……”

I stopped myself.

“Sorry.”

Damn it. I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.

As I was regretting my words from the bottom of my heart, Lee Seowol rose from her seat and bowed deeply to me.

“Lee Seowol of the Mount Heng Sword Sect pays her respects to her benefactor.”

It happened before I could stop her. Flustered, I hurriedly helped her to her feet.

Benefactor?

It was accurate, but hearing it made me cringe.

“Oh, come on. What are you doing? You don’t have to call me your benefactor.”

“No. A person ought to receive kindness and know how to be grateful for it. Please do not make me feel ashamed, Benefactor.”

Her tone was so resolute that I couldn’t stop her anymore.

She’s not wrong.

If not for Jin Mukyung and me, the Mount Heng Sword Sect would have shut its doors today. A deep bow wasn’t enough. They could have erected statues of us and it still wouldn’t have been sufficient.

Maybe they could designate today as the Day the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi Came and make it an annual Mount Heng Sword Sect holiday—

That might be taking things too far.

“Now, calm down and sit.”

“I will follow my benefactor’s instructions.”

“Could you stop calling me that?”

“Yes, Benefactor.”

This is driving me crazy.

Only after Lee Seowol answered with a calm expression and sat down was I finally able to hear why she had come to see me.

“I came to give you my answer regarding the letter.”

“The letter? Oh.”

She meant the invitation.

The polite invitation to have a meal at the Jin Family of Taiyuan on New Year’s Day, which was fast approaching—a summons disguised as a dinner invitation.

Now that the Jin Family of Taiyuan had Shanxi Murim firmly in its grasp, it was obvious that any sect refusing the invitation would face an unpleasant future.

The Mount Heng Sword Sect, which had only narrowly escaped annihilation, was no exception.

“So what’s your answer?”

“We will gladly accept your sect’s proposal.”

It was the answer I had expected.

But Lee Seowol didn’t stop there. She continued speaking.

“Furthermore, as an apology for what happened, I will transfer every right held by our sect to the Jin Family of Taiyuan.”

“Rights?”

“Yes. All rights to the territory currently occupied by our sect.”

In other words, she was saying that she would hand over all of northern Shanxi to the Jin Family of Taiyuan.

She’s going this far?

The fact that the Mount Heng Sword Sect had bowed its head to the Jin Family of Taiyuan was already a given. Jin Wikyung would demand a great deal in compensation, but even he couldn’t completely swallow the sect whole.

Wolhwa had said something similar during our previous conversation.

And now she’s serving it up to us without even being asked.

After calling me her benefactor over and over, it seemed she hadn’t just been paying lip service.

Right. Gratitude shouldn’t end with words. Hm.

“Thank you. My eldest brother will be pleased.”

“There’s more.”

What? She isn’t finished yet?

Lee Seowol took three books from inside her robes and held them out to me.

I slowly read the titles on their covers.

“Blood Wolf Sword Technique, Blood Wolf Footwork. And……”

“Shura Annihilating Fist. The sword technique and footwork technique were created by my father himself. The Shura Annihilating Fist is Uncle Cheol’s secret ultimate technique. Every one of them is an outstanding Peak martial art.”

“Peak martial arts…”

I swallowed hard.

One of the things I had learned painfully in the Murim was the importance of martial arts. Even I was barely able to make up for my deficiencies by relying on the System. For ordinary martial artists, it went without saying.

To them, an outstanding Peak martial art was a priceless treasure.

These are worth more than the rights to northern Shanxi.

If those rights were the branches of a tree, the three martial arts manuals before me were its roots.

Lee Seowol had placed her father’s legacy—the most valuable possessions of the Mount Heng Sword Sect—on the scales.

“Is this a gift too?”

“No. This is a transaction.”

I knew it.

A transaction.

If it was Jin Wikyung, he would accept the deal by any means necessary. Three Peak martial arts were at stake, after all.

What on earth is she going to demand?

Wealth? A guarantee of safety? Or something else?

Lee Seowol—or rather, the Mount Heng Sword Sect—was in a situation beyond desperate. Even if they were offering their martial arts at a bargain price, whatever they wanted in return was certain to be a difficult demand.

I cautiously distanced myself from the matter.

“I’m curious what kind of transaction this is, but I don’t know if you’re aware—I don’t have that kind of authority.”

Lee Seowol gazed steadily at me with eyes as clear as a lake.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I don’t have a particular position, either. I think it would be best for you to discuss this separately with my eldest brother later.”

“My thoughts differ from yours, Benefactor.”

“Excuse me?”

“This is a transaction you are fully capable of deciding. Of course, there would need to be many discussions.”

“A transaction worth trading three Peak martial arts for…… Then what would our side have to give?”

“A person.”

“A person?”

For an instant, a smile flickered across Lee Seowol’s lips.

It was the second time I had seen her smile, and this time, I knew I hadn’t imagined it.

“Please marry me.”

“Well, I’ll be going.”

Hyuk Mujin, who had been pacing around the pavilion’s front courtyard, turned at the sound of a woman’s voice behind him.

A beauty who made his chest tickle just by looking at her was descending the pavilion steps.

Good heavens. She’s breathtaking.

Though she was dozens of paces away, it almost seemed as if the cold midwinter wind carried the scent of flowers.

Our squad leader sure is lucky.

He had a handsome face, was the youngest Young Master of the Jin Family of Taiyuan—the universally acknowledged foremost family in Shanxi—and possessed excellent martial arts.

When he was with Wolhwa, the words a celestial beauty and a handsome man fit them perfectly.

And now the Sect Leader of the Mount Heng Sword Sect had been added to the list.

Hyuk Mujin let out a deep sigh as he watched Lee Seowol’s back disappear into the distance.

I loved you, however briefly, Young Lady Lee.

When Hyuk Mujin returned to the pavilion, he found Jin Taekyung sitting there half out of his mind.

“Squad Leader, what’s wrong?”

“……”

“Squad Leader. Please come to your senses!”

Only after Hyuk Mujin grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him did his unfocused eyes finally clear.

Hyuk Mujin asked with a worried expression, “Did something happen? Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

Gulp.

Jin Taekyung swallowed hard and barely managed to open his mouth.

“Mujin.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know how old Lee Seowol is?”

“What do you mean, ‘Lee Seowol’? You should call her Sect Leader or Young Lady.”

“Unless you want people calling you the late Hyuk Mujin, shut up and answer.”

“……”

Hyuk Mujin thought for a moment.

“How old was she again? I think she was about the age when people started getting married.”

He suddenly slapped his forehead.

“Oh, I remember.”

“H-How old is she?”

“Seventeen.”

Jin Taekyung’s mouth fell open.

“Fuck, she was still a high schooler?”