Chapter 11: Uninvited Guests
‘Who are they? No one should be able to come here.’
The Abandoned Martial Hall was located deep in a remote mountain valley, far away from Kunlun Sect. Due to the extremely rugged terrain, it was nearly impossible for outsiders to stumble upon this place by chance.
That meant…
‘They know the location of the Abandoned Martial Hall.’
They were most likely people from the sect coming to see Jin Gwang-ung.
I walked cautiously toward the entrance of the Abandoned Martial Hall.
As I opened the door and stepped outside, I saw four people approaching from afar.
‘Just as I thought.’
They were four Taoist priests wearing Kunlun Sect’s signature dark gray robes.
One of them stood out in particular.
It was an old Taoist wearing a luxurious blue outer robe over his gray uniform. He appeared to be around the same age as Jin Gwang-ung.
Every time he took a step, the golden thread wrapped around the hilt of the long sword at his waist glittered.
Kunlun was a Taoist sect that generally disliked ostentation and formality. Only a very small number of people could wear such openly luxurious clothing.
I immediately guessed who he was.
‘He must hold a fairly high position. At least an Elder.’
The other three were relatively younger — somewhere between their twenties and forties. They also carried long swords at their waists and followed the old Taoist with very careful attitudes.
It was clear that the old Taoist was their leader.
The four of them were so absorbed in their conversation that they still hadn’t noticed me.
Thanks to learning the Kunlun Blue Azure Scripture, I could clearly hear their voices even from a distance.
“The Abandoned Martial Hall feels just as ominous now as it did five years ago. Well, considering who lives here, that’s only natural.”
The old Taoist raised his voice with clear mockery.
A middle-aged Taoist following behind him bowed slightly and chimed in.
“As you said, Elder. This is far too sinister a place for someone with such noble and pure energy as yourself. You should have simply left the delivery of the Great Assembly of Elders invitation to us.”
“No. If only you three had come, that eccentric Jin Gwang-ung might have caused another scene.”
“Even so, for Elder Na Gwang-do to personally come all this way…”
“It’s fine. Since Jin Gwang-ung is also attending this Great Assembly of Elders, I wanted to see with my own eyes who he chose as his representative.”
Na Gwang-do? Could it be… Golden Hand Na Gwang-do?
I instantly recognized their identities.
‘They’re from the Finance Hall.’
The Finance Hall was one of Kunlun’s core organizations in charge of managing the sect’s funds.
Golden Hand Na Gwang-do was the man who had controlled the massive Finance Hall from behind the scenes for decades. He was also one of Kunlun’s four First Elders.
In other words, he was one of the major figures attending the upcoming Great Assembly of Elders.
It seemed they had come to meet Jin Gwang-ung regarding the Assembly.
I was debating whether I should approach them first and greet them when—
“Elder, look over there. Someone is present.”
One of Na Gwang-do’s companions finally spotted me.
All four pairs of eyes turned toward me at once.
They kicked off the ground simultaneously and landed right in front of me in an instant.
“Who are you? Why are you here?”
Golden Hand Na Gwang-do narrowed his eyes and asked. His gaze carried clear arrogance, as if he were looking down on me.
I bowed my head politely and answered.
“My name is Han Mujin. By order of Elder Jin Gwang-ung, I have been managing the Abandoned Martial Hall for some time now.”
“You’re managing the Abandoned Martial Hall? On Gwang-ung’s orders?”
At my answer, one of Na Gwang-do’s eyebrows slowly rose.
He thought for a moment, then nodded with a mocking expression.
“Well, even though the Abandoned Martial Hall is a useless place, it still holds the history of our sect. Even someone like Elder Jin Gwang-ung would need at least one person to handle chores like cleaning.”
His words openly dismissed both the Abandoned Martial Hall and me.
Na Gwang-do continued speaking while looking down at me.
“Anyway, you must be a disciple of the main sect. Hmm… But I don’t recall seeing your face before. Whose teachings are you under? I doubt anyone would willingly send a disciple to Jin Gwang-ung.”
“I have indeed lived under Kunlun’s roof, but I wasn’t in a position to receive proper teachings.”
“What? What do you mean by that? Not in a position to receive teachings?”
I smiled at the frowning Na Gwang-do and answered.
“Until I met Elder Jin Gwang-ung, I stayed at the Affairs Hall.”
“Affairs Hall? You mean that place where the servants live?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“…”
Na Gwang-do’s face clearly showed he had not expected me to be from the Affairs Hall.
After a short silence, he let out a sigh and spoke with a bitter expression.
“Haa… I really don’t understand what Jin Gwang-ung is thinking. No matter how abandoned the Abandoned Martial Hall is, it’s still a place containing the sect’s secret history. To send an Affairs Hall servant here…”
Na Gwang-do shook his head.
He looked down at me again and continued.
“Well, I suppose he had no choice. No one in the sect was willing to come here anyway. He must have settled for whatever he could get—even an Affairs Hall servant.”
‘What the hell is this damn old man saying?’
He was insulting me right to my face.
I wanted to curse him out, but since he was a First Elder, I suppressed my boiling anger and continued listening.
“Anyway. Where is the master you serve?”
Na Gwang-do seemed to view me as nothing more than Jin Gwang-ung’s servant.
“If you’re asking about Elder Jin Gwang-ung, he left early this morning. He probably won’t return until late at night.”
“Late at night… Hmm, I came too early then. But waiting until night just to deliver this one letter is…”
Na Gwang-do glanced at the middle-aged Taoist standing to his left and frowned.
The middle-aged man was holding a letter in his hand.
I spoke to him.
“If that letter is meant for Elder Jin Gwang-ung, you can leave it with me.”
The moment I finished speaking, the middle-aged Taoist exploded.
“You insolent bastard! How dare a mere Affairs Hall servant speak so rudely! Do you even know how important this letter is?!”
I casually replied to the raging middle-aged Taoist.
“Isn’t that the letter regarding the Great Assembly of Elders?”
For a moment, the Taoist’s eyes wavered.
He clearly hadn’t expected the words “Great Assembly of Elders” to come out of my mouth.
But he quickly raised his voice again.
“It seems you’ve overheard something. Since you know what this letter is, you should be even more careful with your words and actions. How dare you—”
“Ah, it’s fine. If it’s about the Great Assembly of Elders, you can just give it to me.”
As I cut him off, the younger Taoists beside the middle-aged man shouted simultaneously.
“What an insolent fool! A mere Affairs Hall servant dares to—!”
“You bastard! Do you even know who stands before you?! This is First Elder Na Gwang-do and his direct disciple, the current Head of the Finance Hall, Head Manager Hyun-eun!”
Their hands moved toward their sword hilts.
They looked ready to draw their blades at any moment.
If First Elder Na Gwang-do hadn’t been present, they probably would have attacked me already.
‘Finance Hall guys really are all rude as hell. From the young ones to the old. Acting like they’ve known me for years. Damn bastards.’
Of course, I didn’t care whether they were angry or not.
Besides, I had the perfect justification to put these arrogant pricks in their place.
I snorted lightly and said to the young Taoists.
“It doesn’t matter who is in front of me. If that letter is related to the Great Assembly of Elders, then it’s only natural that I receive it.”
“This guy is really—! No matter how ignorant an Affairs Hall servant is, there should be limits! Do you not even know what manners are?! Head Manager Hyun-eun! It seems this insolent servant needs to be taught a les—”
“What exactly is so rude about it?”
I cut off the furious young Taoist and continued.
“I am the one who will be participating in the Great Assembly of Elders. So of course I need to see the letter’s contents.”
“W-what did you say? Participating in the Great Assembly of Elders…? What are you…?”
“Are your ears already going bad even though you look so young? Should I say it again? I am First Elder Jin Gwang-ung’s representative for the Great Assembly of Elders.”
“!!”
The faces of the young Taoists stiffened all at once.
Even Na Gwang-do and Head Manager Hyun-eun stared at me in shock.
“Representative…? You?”
Head Manager Hyun-eun looked at me with a stunned expression.
Taking advantage of his momentary daze, I swiftly snatched the letter from his hand like lightning.
Holding the letter, I gave Head Manager Hyun-eun a light smile.
“I’ve received it safely.”
Leaving the stunned Head Manager Hyun-eun behind, I turned toward Elder Na Gwang-do and bowed.
“Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Han Mujin, the representative for the Great Assembly of Elders under First Elder Jin Gwang-ung, and his only direct disciple.”
“…”
Na Gwang-do stared at me with a hardened expression, seemingly at a loss for words.
A moment later, he let out a short, dry laugh and muttered to himself.
“It seems Elder Jin Gwang-ung was quite desperate. To think he would put forward a representative like this. Well, it doesn’t violate the rules of the Great Assembly of Elders, so I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
Hearing those words, Head Manager Hyun-eun widened his eyes and asked.
“What do you mean, Master? Rules? How can an Affairs Hall servant possibly qualify as a representative for the Great Assembly of Elders?”
Na Gwang-do let out a short sigh and explained.
“The qualifications for a representative in the Great Assembly of Elders are simple. The person must have belonged to the sect for more than three years. They must be a disciple under the respective elder, and must not have received martial instruction from any other elder.”
“Then…”
“Yes. This Han Mujin boy meets the qualifications. Since he’s from the Affairs Hall, he naturally never had the chance to receive Kunlun’s martial arts.”
Na Gwang-do’s explanation cleared up one of the questions that had been lingering in my mind.
‘So that’s why Jin Gwang-ung chose me.’
Still, I doubted he picked me just because of that one rule. There were plenty of people in Kunlun who had been here for over three years.
There had to be another reason.
But that was something I would have to ask Jin Gwang-ung directly.
Either way, I had now confirmed why they had come to the Abandoned Martial Hall.
‘Time to clean up this mess.’
I casually lifted the letter in my hand and looked straight at Head Manager Hyun-eun with my head held high.
“Well then, that should be everything. Head Manager Hyun-eun… or rather, Brother Hyun-eun.”
“W-what did you say? Why would I be your brother—”
“No, do all the people from the Finance Hall have bad hearing or something? Why can’t any of you understand simple words?”
“Y-you…!”
I shook the letter lightly and raised the corners of my mouth.
“I am the direct disciple of First Elder Jin Gwang-ung. By seniority, we are equals. So what’s the problem with me calling you ‘Brother Hyun-eun’? Isn’t that right, Brother Hyun-eun?”
“Y-you…!”
“Hm? What’s wrong, Brother Hyun-eun? You don’t look well. Are you upset? Surely you’re not thinking of insulting me and disregarding Kunlun’s sacred etiquette, are you?”
“Ugh…”
“I don’t think Brother Hyun-eun is the kind of person who would throw away Kunlun’s sacred laws and walk the path of the outsiders. Oh! And since First Elder Na Gwang-do, an esteemed senior of the sect, is right here, we should be even more mindful of proper etiquette. Don’t you agree, Brother Hyun-eun?”
“Uuuugh…”
My dear ‘Brother’ Hyun-eun’s face turned bright red. Even his lower lip was trembling.
He clearly wanted to beat me to death right then and there, but because his master Na Gwang-do was standing right beside him, he could only swallow his fury and endure it.
While Hyun-eun’s face burned with rage, my insides felt refreshingly cool, as if a cold breeze had blown through me in the middle of summer.
‘He must be burning with anger. He never imagined he’d be treated like this by an Affairs Hall servant.’
I knew very well how much Kunlun’s Taoists usually looked down on Affairs Hall members.
All the pent-up resentment I had held back until now was pouring out beautifully.
Just as I was enjoying the situation and thinking about how else I could mess with Hyun-eun—
“That’s enough. Stop right there.”
Na Gwang-do finally stepped in.
“Even if you really are Elder Jin Gwang-ung’s disciple, if you continue acting this rudely, I will not stand by either.”
His voice carried a clear trace of anger.
It seemed watching his beloved direct disciple being humiliated had finally made him lose his temper.
His powerful aura made me pause for a moment.
‘Having Na Gwang-do get involved would be troublesome.’
No matter how bold I was, I couldn’t run my mouth recklessly in front of a First Elder.
I was wondering whether I should back down now when—
“The one acting rudely isn’t my disciple, but you, Gwang-do.”
A familiar, rough voice rang out from above us.
I looked up.
Just as I expected, the person I thought it would be had arrived.
The master of the Abandoned Martial Hall.
One of Kunlun’s First Elders.
The mad bear of Kunlun.
And my first master.
Jin Gwang-ung had returned.