By the time I managed to pull myself out of the cave, the sun had already set.
My entire body was drenched in sweat. Despite usually not caring about being dirty, I felt an uncomfortable level of grime.
'...This is exhausting.'
Dragging my tired body out, I finally breathed in the night air that felt almost life-giving.
Who knows how long I'd been digging through the cave.
It didn't feel that long, but since I had skipped meals, it must have been quite a while.
'Oh, come to think of it, I didn't tell anyone I wasn't eating.'
I only realized this after stepping outside. Normally, I’d tell them I had eaten or was about to, but today, I hadn’t mentioned anything in my focus.
'Not like it matters, right?'
There's no way they skipped their meal just because I wasn't there... right?
‘Hmm.’
I'd like to think not, but given it had happened a few times before, I was a little concerned.
Maybe I should walk a bit faster.
After exiting the cave and descending the mountain, the town came into view not long after.
Even though it was night, the streets of Hanan were still bright.
Of course, "not long" was by my standards.
If I used my skills to pick up the pace, I could close the distance quickly.
'This part has changed too, huh.'
Feeling it, memories of the past came rushing back.
Back then, I was gasping for breath, looking for the bamboo staff in Sichuan.
'That was when Wi Seol-ah secretly followed me.'
I only realized she was following me once I was almost there.
The embarrassing part was that while I was panting and running, Wi Seol-ah had followed effortlessly.
'It was strange at the time.'
It had always been odd, but it got stranger the more I thought about it.
I don’t know about the current Wi Seol-ah, but the Wi Seol-ah of those days was something difficult to describe as human.
Her presence was faint, and she had a ridiculous level of strength for an ordinary person.
Of course, by now, I have a rough idea why that was.
Not that there's much to figure out.
'She simply wasn’t human.'
Wi Seol-ah wasn’t human.
That was a fact I could now grasp, knowing that there was something about her.
But maybe I just didn’t want to think that way.
'Wi Seol-ah is a person.'
If I believed it, that was all that mattered.
It felt a bit like avoiding the issue, but I wanted to believe it.
Even now, when I think of that time, I don’t remember anything strange about her. Instead, I only recall carrying her while leaping across the ground.
Wi Seol-ah’s identity wasn't really a matter of importance to me.
'Back then, this distance was quite challenging too.'
It was around the time I had just barely reached the second rank, thanks to a bit of fortunate luck.
What was I thinking, deciding to carry Wi Seol-ah on my back?
‘Ah.’
That's right.
Wi Seol-ah had asked me to carry her.
She had asked, saying she was tired, and recalling it now brought a slight smile.
It wasn’t a bad memory, after all.
Thinking back on such random memories, I soon found myself at the town's entrance.
Upon arriving, I put on my bamboo hat.
‘…Tsk.’
Wearing a bamboo hat to avoid being recognized—it was a bit of a disgraceful situation.
Becoming this famous was its own kind of trouble.
On top of that, since a lot of people from other regions were in town now, it was even worse.Damn those Murim Alliance bastards.
'They really spread rumors far and wide.'
Despite their terrible job at handling things, they were excellent at spreading these ridiculous stories.
They spread them so well that now, almost no one in Hanan doesn’t know about me and my nickname.
Fame can be a kind of power for a martial artist, so these rumors aren’t all bad, but...
'...No, it’s probably a bad thing.'
I sighed deeply.
To be honest, I wasn’t too happy about this kind of attention.
While it was different from my past life, people’s gazes were still more unsettling than enjoyable.
Is this something I was bound to experience eventually?
'I wonder how the others put up with this kind of thing.'
I thought about the Four Noble Families.
They often wore uniforms adorned with the emblem of their respective families, making them easy to recognize.
Seeing one of the descendants of the Four Noble Families was always a significant event.
When I was young, I thought it was embarrassing to wear something like that. But after seeing a bit more of the world, I understood it immediately.
It was a kind of value.
It allowed them to avoid unnecessary conflicts, and they often received special treatment wherever they went.
People addressed them differently, and they could start on a higher footing from the very beginning.
Such is the power of reputation.
If you look deeper, it gets much more complicated, but that's roughly how I see it.
Still, despite all those advantages...
‘Until things calm down a bit... I shouldn’t stand out.’
No matter how I look at it, I’m just not cut out for that life.
I pulled the bamboo hat down further.
Using my skills, I erased my presence and hastened my steps.
I felt an urge to reach the inn as soon as possible.
Walking a bit further,
I stopped in front of a place I knew well. It looked like a tavern.
This was the place where Moyong Heea occasionally bought dumplings. I might have mentioned they were good, and since then, she always bought them from here.
“…Hmm.”
I hesitated for a moment, but quickly made up my mind and entered to order some food.
And by the time I left, I had a hefty package in one hand.
I bought a lot, but I figured it wouldn’t go to waste since there was someone who would eat it all.
Maybe I should buy some yakgwa too.
I’ll get some if I see it on the way.
With that thought, I continued toward the inn.
The streets were still crowded.
And the night was bright.
The smell of food lingered in the air.
I walked, briefly enjoying the bustling streets, contradictory as it was to my dislike of such places.
Seeing so many people made me feel like the bloodshed hadn’t reached this place yet.
Thinking of that, I moved slowly.
Not long after, I noticed the crowd thinning out.
Passing through the active parts of town, I got closer to the inn.
'Still, this is a bit too few people, isn’t it?'
Just as I was wondering if something was going on,
"Hmm?"
Sure enough, I spotted something in the distance.
A gathering of people—it looked like there was some kind of commotion.
'So that’s why there’s fewer people than usual.'
It seemed like that was the reason.
I was about to turn and go back when,
"…Excuse me."
An all-too-familiar voice reached my ears.
I turned my head, and there, I saw a woman's back.
I remembered what I’d said earlier about the symbols.
The symbols of the Four Noble Families were indeed valuable.
The Gu Family was no different.
We also had uniforms with symbols embroidered on them, but I didn’t particularly enjoy wearing them.
It was embarrassing, after all, walking around with something like that.
I likely wouldn’t wear it in the future either.
‘After all, no one else wears them anyway.’
Not even my father or Gu Heebi ever wore them around.
They only wore them to important events. The last time was probably at the Jeongpa Gathering.
In any case,
the reason I bring up these symbols now is that the woman in question was wearing the Gu Family’s uniform.
It was a dark red uniform with light yellow embroidery.
That was the distinctive outfit of the Gu Family,
and there was only one person I could think of who would wear something so eye-catching.
'Gu Yeonseo?'
Yes.
The voice belonged to Gu Yeonseo.
Having confirmed that, I approached the crowd.
Gu Yeonseo was apologizing to someone.
Upon seeing that, I frowned slightly and observed the other person.
The one she was apologizing to was a middle-aged man with a large build.
He reminded me a bit of Elder Jang. A huge frame that made his sword seem small by comparison.
He wore a black uniform, and on his finger was a black ring.
Once I noticed those details, I immediately knew who he was.
I'd met him a few times, so I couldn’t not know him.
That man was none other than,
'The Head of the Peng Family?'
He was the head of the Peng Family, known as the Blade King.
'Why?'
I was filled with questions.
Why were Gu Yeonseo and the Head of the Peng Family like this?
And right in the middle of the street, no less.
Gu Yeonseo seemed intimidated, her shoulders slumped,
while the Head of the Peng Family had a rather unpleasant expression.
"…Hmph. These younger generations are so disappointing. Walking without even looking where they're going."
"..."
"And to top it off, you bump into the shoulder of someone much higher up. Did your family teach you that this is okay?"
"No… It was my fault, I apologize."
Gu Yeonseo apologized without any excuses, and one of my eyebrows shot up.
'Look at this?'
So she had bumped into the Peng Family head’s shoulder while walking down the street?
That’s what it sounded like from their conversation.
"Not only should you have greeted me first, but you didn’t even have the courtesy to walk properly. Tsk, tsk."
The Head of the Peng Family clicked his tongue with a twisted smile.
He didn’t seem angry so much as pleased with the opportunity.
'Bumping into his shoulder?'
This was something that simply wouldn’t happen under normal circumstances.
Though it wasn’t completely crowded, there were still enough people around,
and a man like the Peng Family Head wouldn’t have let someone get that close to bump into him.
In other words,
This was just some petty trick.
"Even if you’re young, this reflects poorly on the Gu Family’s upbringing."
He mentioned the Gu Family, causing Gu Yeonseo to flinch. Her ears turned red, and I saw her shrink a little.
Noticing this, the corners of the Peng Family Head's mouth curved up slightly.
"They say your family’s talents are great… but when it comes to basic manners, it seems rather lacking…"
"N-No! This is entirely my fault for not seeing ahead…"
"Stop!"
The Head of the Peng Family bellowed, causing Gu Yeonseo to startle and step back.
"To interrupt me before I’m finished—such disrespect!"
"…I’m sorry. Please forgive my rudeness…"
Each time he found a fault with her, the Peng Family Head’s grin widened.
"To think that the most famous of the Four Noble Families would have such a disgrace for a descendant… How disappointing."
"…That’s…"
Gu Yeonseo struggled to speak, only to clamp her mouth shut. The Head of the Peng Family’s words were like a noose around her.
Seeing that, he looked satisfied and continued.
"I’d heard bad things about your family, but I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Seeing this, I should be grateful it ended poorly back then."
"…!"
At the mention of the broken engagement, Gu Yeonseo squeezed her eyes shut.
Seeing this, my body moved on its own.
"With a bloodline like that, there’s no need to even look at the rest…"
The Head of the Peng Family's words cut off abruptly.
Because I had stepped in between them.
If I’d watched any longer, my blood pressure would’ve soared, and I might’ve died right then. I couldn’t have that.
I grabbed Gu Yeonseo by the shoulder and pulled her back.
Her eyes widened at the sudden movement.
I pushed her behind me, positioning myself protectively in front of the Peng Family Head.
"What…?"
The Peng Family Head looked at me in surprise.
It was understandable.
I was as surprised as he was.
How could anyone not be, hearing such utter nonsense?
"Mister."
At my blunt address, the Peng Family Head’s brows knitted together.
Perhaps it was because he didn’t expect such a title.
I suppose,
the Head of the Peng Family had never been called “mister” before.
Watching his expression grow increasingly displeased, I spoke.
"You’re talking—"
"Like absolute trash."
"Trash...what?"
Just as I was about to finish, I suddenly felt a jolt of energy leave me.
Someone had interrupted, voicing exactly what I was about to say.
"Your mouth is filthy, like a trash can that spits out garbage."
"What…?"
The Head of the Peng Family looked around in confusion.
It wasn’t me who said that.
It was a woman who had appeared beside me with her arms crossed.
Just like the Peng Family Head, I stared at the unexpected intruder.
Who would’ve thought there’d be someone as crazy as me to curse out the Head of a Noble Family?
As I stared at her with wide eyes,
"What?"
I let out a sound of surprise. I had recognized the embroidery on her uniform.
A light blue martial artist's uniform and a particular emblem on her chest, along with some unique ornaments.
These were items I had seen somewhere before.
'Could it be...?'
Yes, it was.
This woman had the same uniform and ornaments as Moyong Heea.
In other words,
This woman was a member of the Moyong Family.