NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Chapter 89. Time of the Hunt (3)
“Prepare for battle!”
Shing, shing, shing, shing, shing.
The one hundred and fifty mounted warriors drew gleaming swords, their momentum fierce enough to crush the enemy at any moment.
The other side was far greater in number, but the horses they rode, as well as the crests of Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect on their clothes, overwhelmed them in presence.
“Fortunately, we were not too late.”
Seong Mo-ran and Namgung Seon-hwa approached my side.
I still could not hide my surprise at their appearance.
“Were you in Suzhou?”
“Of course not.”
Seong Mo-ran looked at Namgung Seon-hwa and smiled meaningfully.
“We crossed over from Anhui Province after staying up for three nights. Why on earth was Young Master Jin not in Anhui Province, but all the way in Zhejiang Province?”
When I tilted my head at those words I could not understand, Namgung Seon-hwa merely nodded.
“Let us talk about that a little later for now.”
“…….”
Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran straightened their backs and looked at Song Baek.
“It has been a while, Song Baek.”
Song Baek’s expression was subtle, neither able to frown nor smile.
“I did not expect to see you two in a place like this.”
Namgung Seon-hwa looked around without even looking at Song Baek.
“I heard Hwayeong Escort Agency usually supports many martial halls. It seems this was why?”
“……An escort agency naturally never stops providing support in order to obtain excellent Escorts.”
“No one here seems to be taking the Murim Academy Regular Exam. Is that my misunderstanding?”
“…….”
“Is there anyone here who has secured a First Trial Token or a Second Trial Token?”
No one stepped forward.
Song Baek quickly continued.
“They are taking the exam because they have not yet obtained Trial Tokens.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. That is correct.”
Namgung Seon-hwa nodded as though she understood all too clearly.
“In any case, do you intend to continue?”
“I had my Trial Tokens stolen by that man.”
At Song Baek’s words, Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran looked at me with dumbfounded expressions. Their faces seemed to say, “Even in the middle of all that?”
Namgung Seon-hwa let out a sigh and continued speaking.
“……Were the others not here to steal Young Master Jin’s Trial Tokens as well?”
“…….”
“From now on, you will also have to face Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect.”
Song Baek looked back and forth between me, Namgung Seon-hwa, and Seong Mo-ran.
“Why is Namgung Clan taking Taeul Sect’s side? Moreover, were Iron Sword Sect and Taeul Sect not enemies with each other?”
“That is not something Young Master Song needs to concern himself with.”
“No matter how great Namgung Clan is, it cannot carelessly interfere in the affairs of the murim.”
“What if our Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect are in a cooperative relationship with Taeul Sect?”
“…….”
“Then we have the right to interfere, do we not?”
“Do you truly intend to do this?”
Song Baek’s eyes sharpened.
The last bit of goodwill that had remained seemed to have fallen away, leaving only a dry gaze.
“No matter how great Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect may be, in Suzhou, they cannot ignore Hwayeong Escort Agency.”
Song Baek raised his head and looked toward the top of the city wall.
Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran’s gazes followed his.
There, the County Magistrate could be seen, his expression clearly flustered.
“……That is true. In Suzhou, one cannot ignore Hwayeong Escort Agency. However, do you think Namgung Clan can be ignored within the murim?”
“…….”
“Once the County Magistrate’s term ends and he is transferred elsewhere, will Namgung Clan’s power not reach farther there than Hwayeong Escort Agency’s influence?”
“!”
“!”
If Hwayeong Escort Agency was the king of Suzhou, Namgung Clan possessed power that dominated the entire murim.
The face of the County Magistrate atop the city wall turned white.
Unless he intended to bury his bones in Suzhou, he would someday have to complete his term and be assigned elsewhere.
“If you take revenge later over something that happened during the Murim Academy Exam, that too will be treated as cheating.”
“I never said I would take revenge.”
“…….”
Song Baek moved his lips.
His gaze kept shifting back and forth toward the County Magistrate atop the city wall.
If it were Taeul Sect, he could suppress them easily with the power of the authorities, but Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect were not opponents one could do anything to with a mere County Magistrate’s position.
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Perhaps after speaking enough, the County Magistrate waved his hand.
Then the archers began lowering their bowstrings one by one.
After that, the County Magistrate disappeared from sight, and the constables began quickly letting those lined up at the city gate entrance leave.
“It seems this is over.”
The moment the County Magistrate signaled that he would not intervene in this battle,
the scale tilted back toward our side.
“What will you do? Will you go back like this? Or will you continue?”
Namgung Seon-hwa pressed down on the other side with an imposing air she had never shown before.
“……If he returns the Trial Tokens, I will consider it.”
Song Baek’s voice crawled low.
Namgung Seon-hwa looked at me.
I said the obvious.
“I’m not returning them. I have no intention of returning them. Go back!”
In the end, Song Baek returned empty-handed.
From the start, asking for something he had lost during the Regular Exam to be returned was no different from a child’s whining, so Song Baek could not force the matter any further.
“Eldest Senior Brother…….”
Eun-ho whispered quietly.
“Are we moving with them from now on?”
“Well…….”
Perhaps my voice was a little loud, because Eun-ho gave me a look and lowered his own voice even more.
“If possible, can we not move together? There is a limit to keeping watch by ourselves, is there not?”
What we needed most right now was sufficient rest and nourishment.
The children, who had not slept properly even a single day since the exam began, had already accumulated fatigue to the point just before madness.
No, judging by how they acted in the inn, they already seemed slightly mad.
“But where are we going right now?”
“Why have you been lowering your voice since earlier?”
Eun-ho glanced at Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran.
“If my voice is too loud for no reason and makes them uncomfortable…… that would not be good.”
“Haa…….”
No wonder even Geum-pyo and Dong-ryong had grown quieter than usual. They were stiff with tension because they were in front of Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran.
“Can you not treat your Eldest Senior Brother the same way?”
“Is that not a little different?”
“……No. Forget it.”
We immediately headed to the Suzhou branch of Azure Sky Merchant Guild under the escort of the warriors of Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect.
“First, you should eat…… no, before that, it would be better if you washed.”
Namgung Seon-hwa had been about to suggest a meal, but after seeing our appearances, she suggested bathing first, and the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers were led to the bathhouse with their faces flushed red.
“Wow!”
“What kind of bathhouse is as big as Taeul Sect’s pavilion?”
“Incredible.”
At the center of the bathhouse, which looked like a place where Escorts washed in groups, there was a large wooden tub, and from a waterway connected to the ceiling, hot water poured down continuously.
“Kyaoo!”
“Ooh…… hot.”
The three Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers entered the bath and looked as though they had tasted paradise.
“If I could rest like this for just three days, I would have no more wishes.”
“Really. This is so nice.”
“Ugh…….”
When the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers put their bodies into the bath, dried blood scabs, dirt, and other things fell terribly from their bodies.
However, because of the hot water falling from the ceiling, the tub soon filled with water, and the polluted water quickly turned clear again.
As Geum-pyo enjoyed the bath to his heart’s content, he seemed to think of something and asked me,
“Senior Brother, then sects with branches all across the country must be safe from attacks during the exam.”
“They would be.”
“Whoa…….”
Although they were taking the same exam, disciples of Taeul Sect were always exposed to attacks the moment they left Anhui Province…… no, the moment they left Hefei.
Conversely, sects like the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Clans, which had direct and indirect branches across the nation, could use accommodations where they did not need to worry about attacks.
“This exam really makes no sense.”
It was an exam that not only the weak, but even those with considerable strength could not easily pass.
That was why people called the Murim Academy Regular Exam the Hell Regular Exam.
Unlike Geum-pyo, who was grumbling, Eun-ho had fallen deep into thought. He looked steadily at me and asked,
“Eldest Senior Brother, how did you form a connection with Miss Namgung and Miss Seong?”
“This and that happened. Why?”
“It does not seem to make sense. Are those two not taking the exam too? I don’t understand why they would ‘go out of their way’ to cross a province just to save Eldest Senior Brother.”
Splash.
I struck the water in the tub and splashed Eun-ho’s face with it.
“Ugh. Eldest Senior Brother! Can you not see the grime in this water?”
“Why did you add ‘go out of their way’ when you could have phrased it differently?”
“From their perspective, is that not what it is?”
In truth, I also found that part questionable.
From what I had heard from Hao Gate, they had been attacked from the beginning and had hidden while avoiding enemies. It was not easy to accept that they had come to save me when they should have been busy taking the exam.
“Ah!”
Geum-pyo, who had also been thinking along with Eun-ho’s words, snapped his fingers.
“That’s it. That would make sense.”
“Hm?”
Eun-ho looked full of doubt that Geum-pyo had noticed something even he had not understood.
“Love.”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
For the first time, only the sound of water rang in the bathhouse.
Eun-ho abruptly stood up and shoved Geum-pyo’s head into the bath.
Blub, blub, blub.
“Kek! Why, why are you doing this?!”
“You should say something that makes sense. Love? What, did you fall into Qi Deviation during battle or something?”
I thought the same as Eun-ho.
Blub, blub.
“Ugh. Stop. Water, grrrk. I’m drinking water!”
“How could Eldest Senior Brother possibly be a match for Miss Namgung Seon-hwa, the young lady of the mighty Namgung Clan? He has no background, his looks are nothing special, and his personality is weird. The only thing he has is a tiny bit of memory. What is there to like that Miss Namgung Seon-hwa would yearn for him?”
“…….”
Eun-ho’s continuing words were strange.
“Moreover, Miss Seong Mo-ran? Good grief! Until a few months ago, they were snarling at each other like enemies! Besides, is Miss Seong Mo-ran’s family inferior to Namgung Clan? Whether in beauty or martial achievement, do you think those two think even as much as the dirt beneath their toes of our Senior Brother?”
“……Eun-ho.”
“Yes? Ah! Eldest Senior Brother, don’t worry. I will properly educate Geum-pyo so he cannot say nonsense in front of the young ladies. Please persuade them well so they can accompany us.”
I spoke to Eun-ho, who looked triumphant.
“……Do you want to drink all the water in this bath?”
“……Hic.”
“It is good to see you.”
The meal was simple.
In a small space prepared on one side of the dining room, only Namgung Seon-hwa, Seong Mo-ran, the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers, and I were seated.
“I-it is an honor!”
“G-good to meet you.”
“Hello-oo….”
In the bathhouse, the three brothers had displayed their spirit while naked, saying things like they must absolutely not look intimidated, but as if that had never happened, they now moved unnaturally, like wooden dolls.
Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran saw that and covered their mouths as they laughed, as though finding them cute.
“Hohoho.”
“If I had known Young Master Jin’s junior brothers were this adorable, I would have come to meet them sooner.”
Geum-pyo’s face flushed red as he grinned and kept scratching the back of his head.
Eun-ho, who had once cursed Iron Sword Sect so much, looked as though he was wagging an invisible tail in front of Seong Mo-ran.
Dong-ryong had turned into a carrot and kept his head lowered deeply.
It was difficult for boys their age to act composed in front of the opposite sex, but these fellows were particularly severe.
‘Well, they are in front of Seong Mo-ran and Namgung Seon-hwa.’
Together with Wang So-so, the two were famous even in Anhui Province for their beauty.
Thinking that way, it was understandable in another sense.
Though these fellows saw Wang So-so every day, so there was no way they had no immunity to beautiful women. Was it because of Wang So-so’s personality? Or was immunity to a woman who dressed up different from immunity to one who did not?
“Stop that and sit down.”
“……Yesh.”
“……Yeesh.”
“…….”
Geum-pyo and Eun-ho dared to send me gazes full of dissatisfaction, then sat down.
As expected, I should have made them drink more bathwater.
“You must be hungry, so eat first.”
Thanks to Azure Sky Merchant Guild’s consideration, even though only six of us sat at the table, eleven dishes had been brought out.
In the inn at noon, these fellows had wolfed down food as though possessed by hungry ghosts, yet for some reason, they were now using their chopsticks and sampling it little by little.
I ignored them and looked at the two women.
“What happened?”
Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran looked at each other and smiled meaningfully.
“Are you not glad we came?”
“How could that be? Thanks to you, we escaped the most critical moment.”
If not for the two of them, Hwayeong Escort Agency would not have withdrawn so easily.
“I heard you two suffered heavy losses and were hiding.”
“You heard even that?”
I remembered it clearly because it had been quite surprising that someone had attacked the group of Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect once the First Trial ended.
“Sister Mo-ran went through a great deal because of me.”
The truth was this.
Until the Regular Exam began, Namgung Tae-ha and Namgung San had not appeared, and Namgung Seon-hwa had ultimately had no choice but to take the exam with only twenty warriors.
Fortunately, Seong Mo-ran did not abandon Namgung Seon-hwa and tried to take the exam together with her.
Thanks to Seong Mo-ran’s warriors, the two were barely able to pass the First Trial, but they were attacked immediately afterward.
“And it turned out they were from our collateral line.”
In the end, because they were Namgung Clan, they had been able to strike Namgung Clan.
Without even thinking about the Second Trial, they stubbornly pursued Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran, and in the midst of that, the few warriors they had left had to be sent back due to injuries.
“Still, it was an immense relief. Grandfather came out.”
Namgung Tae-ha, who had completed Firmament Cloudless Sword Art, immediately summoned all the collateral lines and reorganized the family.
Immediately after the First Trial ended, Namgung Clan’s collateral line had persistently chased Namgung Seon-hwa in order to obstruct Namgung Tae-ha.
As soon as Namgung Tae-ha put the family in order, he sent Namgung Seon-hwa Spiritual Pills and eighty more warriors of Namgung Clan.
“We had barely managed to catch our breath when we heard that Young Master Jin had become the target of Wudang, Mount Hua, and Diancang.”
“……Hm?”
“……Pardon?”
“???”
The Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers reacted as though they were hearing this for the first time.
Namgung Seon-hwa asked me again.
“You did not know?”
“I knew. I simply thought there was no need to mention it.”
“……Crazy…….”
“……No, Eldest Senior Brother…….”
“…….”
Complaints burst out.
“Would bathwater be good for dessert?”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
Seeing the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers shut their mouths completely again, Namgung Seon-hwa looked as though she did not understand what was going on.
I lightly changed the subject and continued speaking.
“Did you come because you heard that story?”
Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran nodded firmly.
“Of course. We naturally had to come.”
“It was obvious, was it not?”
For some reason, I felt sorry.
“I feel as though I have placed an unnecessary burden on you two. Still, thanks to you, we survived.”
“It was only natural. You saved our lives too.”
“Sister, for me, it was twice.”
Seeing the two of them laugh together, the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers looked at the two young ladies without understanding what was going on this time.
“Ah…… You did not tell them this either?”
“……There was no time to talk about it. These children must have been too busy training as well.”
“Still, they should know what kind of person their senior brother is.”
With that, they told the story of what had happened at the Demon Spirit Plateau, what had happened on the way to Namgung Clan, and so on.
The Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers, who had been eating, eventually forgot even to eat as they listened to everything.
“That is what happened.”
“…….”
“Senior Namgung Seon-hwa and Senior Seong Mo-ran were both at the Demon Spirit Plateau?”
When the two women nodded, the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers’ mouths fell open.
They seemed to have learned some of what had happened at the Demon Spirit Plateau after the Black Path factions showered Taeul Sect with gifts, but apparently they had not known who had been there.
Perhaps after finishing the arrangement in their heads, the three brothers who had been awkwardly pretending to be solemn shouted out.
“As expected of Senior Brother! There was a reason for everything!”
“See, Brother! I told you there must have been a reason.”
“Perhaps while being rescued from that Demon Spirit Plateau, romantic feeli—mmph!”
When Dong-ryong tried to say something strange, Eun-ho quickly covered his mouth.
Then he shot up from his seat.
“I think we are a little tired. May we go upstairs first?”
“……? Ah, of course. Rest well today, and we will see you tomorrow.”
Once the three Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers left, a maidservant entered with tea.
By the time the thick steam rising from the tea slowly vanished,
Namgung Seon-hwa spoke with a heavy expression.
“You look less worried than I expected.”
“It is not something that will be solved by worrying, is it?”
Namgung Seon-hwa let out an exclamation as though dumbfounded.
Seong Mo-ran continued.
“Wudang, Mount Hua, and Diancang, those three places…….”
Then she looked steadily at me.
“If they are targeting Young Master Jin alone…… I am sorry to say this, but it is practically already over.”
“…….”
“Young Master Jin knows well what will happen after the Third Trial, does he not?”
The Great Journey of Avici Screams.
Once the final trial was passed, the true Hell Regular Exam would probably begin.
The number of casualties would likely be incomparable to those who had died during the First Trial, Second Trial, and Third Trial.
There were even people who had not participated in the exam and were merely waiting for the Third Trial to end.
Moreover, three of the Nine Sects and One Gang were openly declaring that they were targeting me.
“I know well. That is why I ask…….”
Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran said they had already obtained one First Trial Token and one Second Trial Token each.
At this rate, they could pass the Third Trial and succeed in the Murim Academy Exam.
And their lives would flow in the direction that had already been planned for them.
“Do you perhaps intend to move with us?”
Even if they had heard of my danger, they could simply force themselves to ignore it with a few words of worry and concern and go their own way. Then they would be able to follow the future scheduled for them as it was.
However, if they clumsily stepped forward out of needless courage or a sense of justice, the course of their lives could be completely changed.
“If you move with us, your passing may become distant……. No, the probability that you will not pass will be higher.”
“…….”
“…….”
I was truly grateful that they wanted to repay the grace of saving their lives, but from the beginning, I had not done those things expecting compensation, so I had no intention of forcing anything upon them.
Moreover, I had already received more than enough repayment for part of it.
If there was anything compelling their hearts, I was telling them not to let it do so.
Because stepping forward with hot blood would cost them far too much.
“The fact that you two thought of us this way is enough for me. No, rather, I hope you will not be with us. If you two suffer something grave because of me, I will have no face to see the Divine Sword or the Iron Sword Sect Leader.”
“…….”
“…….”
I quietly swallowed the cold tea.
If I held the card called Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran in my hand, the strategies I could devise would become limitless.
But even so, I had no desire to use them as tools, like Yong So-ah or the Murim Alliance.
There was a difference as vast as heaven and earth between taking responsibility for someone because I clearly regarded that person as one of my own, and using that person as a tool for my sake.
To me, they were still people standing on the boundary between tools and my own people.
“Truly…….”
Seong Mo-ran, who had been silent for a long time, opened her red lips.
“That is just like Young Master Jin.”
“Sister, I told you Young Master Jin would definitely say this, did I not?”
As though the two found something deeply amusing, they met each other’s eyes and nodded.
“We said the same thing the moment we heard your news. So don’t think of this as repaying a debt or repaying a favor.”
“That is right. From the beginning, we wanted to be with Young Master Jin.”
The scale tilted to one side.
At their words, my choice also became firm. Instead of answering, I nodded.
“I will be in your care.”
“We are the ones who will be in your care again this time.”
At Namgung Seon-hwa’s joking manner, the tense atmosphere dissolved in an instant.
“But why are Wudang, Mount Hua, and Diancang specifically targeting Young Master Jin and Taeul Sect? I heard there was conflict with the disciples of Mount Hua and Diancang when the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly visited Taeul Sect. But why Wudang?”
Before I could answer, Seong Mo-ran continued.
“It is because of that bastard Yong So-ah, is it not? That bastard escaped from the Soul-Destroying Formation alone. Because of that, he was criticized, and Young Master Jin was praised.”
“I cannot say that has no influence, but the precise reason is probably the Trial Tokens I possess.”
Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran tilted their heads at the same time. Their appearances were so different, yet their actions were like sisters, even twins.
“Did you not know?”
“Know what?? Do you not each have one Trial Token?”
“……?”
“I have nine First Trial Tokens and six Second Trial Tokens. Ah! I took one each from Song Baek earlier, so now it is ten and seven, respectively.”
“Pardon?”
“What?!”
Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran’s mouths fell open as though they had been struck by lightning.
“From the beginning, I am assuming that not only Wudang, Mount Hua, and Diancang, but the entire murim is targeting us.”
“…….”
“…….”
The two looked as though their souls had left them.
Did they really not know when they came here?
I quickly added,
“I thank you again for the promise you made to join us, staking your honor as martial artists and the names of your families.”
“……We never staked our honor as martial artists….”
“……S-sister, did I stake my family earlier……?”
A played card cannot be taken back.
Once your hand leaves it, it is over.