While Hongryeon and the Sword Saint were off doing their thing, I had my own tasks to tackle.
I needed to deliver the sword I got from the Abyss of Despair to the Murim Alliance.
“You have to go all the way to the Murim Alliance… Well, I guess we have to, then.”
After some thinking, Chaebin nodded with a relaxed smile.
“Even if I’m definitely going with you, who else do you plan to bring along?”
“Hmm…”
Since we’re going anyway, I’d like to take Sayoon with us. But is it right to bring her along when she’s currently training hard to reach a higher level?
I should at least ask her.
Perfect timing—Sayoon is included in today’s patrol, so I’ll just ask her when she shows up.
“Is Chaeran okay with this?”
“There shouldn’t be a problem since she’s got no special tasks at the moment. She finished all the big stuff recently.”
“Not every job is huge, you know.”
“There’s that saying, ‘Do tomorrow what can be postponed until tomorrow!'”
“Who said that?”
“Chaebin did!”
I burst into laughter at her confidently stating that with a big smile.
It’s a great saying, but it doesn’t quite fit me.
After petting the smiling Chaebin, I headed downstairs. It seemed like everyone was taking a break now that the busy time had passed.
“Where are you off to?”
“I’m just going to swing by the Moonjeong branch for a bit. Yohwan, do you need anything while I’m making a quick trip to the Murim Alliance?”
“It’s not like you’re just popping over to the neighborhood. Doesn’t it take over a week just to get there by carriage?”
“Well, it would if I took a carriage.”
This time, I’m going to ride a horse without the carriage. That should save some time, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
“Hmm… Nothing in particular.”
“Got it.”
Nodding to Yohwan, I headed to the Moonjeong branch with Chaebin. Upon entering the familiar building and opening the door to the branch manager’s office, I found Chaeran looking serious as she went through documents.
“Hmm? What’s up?”
“I need to make a brief trip to the Murim Alliance in a couple of days.”
“Why are you going in person?”
“I have something to pass along. I thought about sending it through the courier, but since I need to meet the leader directly to deliver it and receive something, it’d be better if I went myself.”
“What’s that about?”
I shrugged my shoulders, and the perceptive Chaeran chuckled lightly.
“Is it about the gifts?”
“Exactly. Anyway, can you join me this time?”
“I’d love to, but I have a lot on my plate too. I’ll have to pass this time. How about taking someone from Hongseong with you?”
“I was just thinking I’d ask someone from Hongseong if they send someone over today.”
“In that case, I’d recommend bringing Sayoon along.”
“Why?”
“I’m trying to give her some experience. Lately, she seems a bit troubled.”
Looks like being close friends allows her to pick up on things a little. Chaeran’s expression turned a bit bitter as she set down her brush.
“Whenever someone’s skills level up to the next stage, they end up going through all sorts of worries, right? Sayoon should be fine, but I still don’t want to see her in pain.”
“Every time my skills improve, I end up worrying about all sorts of things, right? With Sayoon, that’s probably not a problem… but I can’t stand to see her in pain.”
She said this calmly while looking up at me.
“If it’s you, Mister, I’m sure you can help Sayoon, right?”
“I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I’m willing to give it a shot, so don’t worry.”
“Hehe, thank goodness. Anyway, since I can’t go with you this time, Elder Sister, you have to look after Mister well, okay?”
“What kind of obvious thing is that?”
With a confident laugh, Chaejin lightly tapped Chaeran’s shoulder.
“Then while I’m gone, I’ll be counting on you to take care of the Moonjeong branch.”
Chaeran frowned.
Around the afternoon, Yoohee and Sayoon stopped by. As they came down for patrol, I immediately asked Sayoon.
“Do you want to come with me to the Murim Alliance?”
“Um… I think I’m fine. But why do you need to go to the Murim Alliance?”
“I have some business there. I’ll let Ryuhyun know separately.”
“In that case, there shouldn’t be any issues. So, uh, am I the only one going?”
“Well, if you want to bring someone else, you should ask them yourself.”
“Okay. I’ll ask Hyunhwi later.”
“Sounds good. And hey, are you alright? You look tired.”
“When you’re training, it’s common to get this worn out.”
Sayoon said she would have to use the Heart of Soul Emotion if she didn’t grow on her own by the time the wedding was over.
In other words, she had to break through the wall within herself without any outside help.
Ordinary martial artists would exhaust themselves in that process, either by training so hard they wear themselves out, fasting while meditating, or just constantly fighting off evil monsters.
To break through their limits, they had to push themselves to the extremes.
Seeing Sayoon forcing herself to reach her limits while training, I added another remark.
“Do you know how the Buddha achieved enlightenment?”
“Um, yes.”
He realized through extreme asceticism that pushing oneself to the limit was pointless, and he attained enlightenment after meditating under the Bodhi tree for several days.
“Remember, excessive training can lead to confusion.”
“Right. Yoo Wol isn’t wrong either. I think nothing is more important than the middle way. So Sayoon, I hope you gain something from this trip.”
Chaejin, who was standing next to me, chimed in with a nod.
“Hehe, I sincerely thank you both for your advice.”
“Sayoon! Let’s go now!”
“Oh! Yoohee is out. Mister, Chaejin Elder Sister, I’ll be off now!”
Watching Sayoon go off cheerfully with Yoohee for patrol, Chaejin slowly turned to look at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just worried about whether Sayoon might get too anxious.”
Anxiety tends to bring about danger.
My beloved younger sibling and also the friend of my real younger sister, Sayoon, seemed worried and firmly held my hand.
“Still, it should be fine since you’ll be beside me, right?”
“That’s right.”
It had to be.
Since it was an official escort request, Hyunhwi also agreed. With that, the Hongseong Clan was made up of two people and Chaejin for the escort, and I swiftly left Seomha Fortress, heading straight for the Murim Alliance.
There weren’t any special issues on the way. Since we were traveling via the official road and thanks to my position as a case officer, we could also use the accommodations of the road defense troops.
After running day and night, upon arriving at Mugak Castle, where the Murim Alliance was located, I smiled and said,
“Are you all okay?”
“We’re fine. But we’re worried about you, Mister. Are you alright?”
I’m fine with this much. Riding takes a lot of stamina, but I’ve been steadily training Taijiquan and Ogumhee, so my stamina was good. Plus, I had been taking health tonics whenever I could, so this was nothing.
“Then let’s go in right away.”
Hyunhwi shook the reins. Following her lead, as we reached near Mugak Castle, Chaejin guided us through the door we entered last time.
“This is Yu Wol, the case officer. I sent a letter to the Murim Alliance before…”
“Yes. It has been confirmed.”
The soldiers guarding the gate of the Murim Alliance opened the door for us. We entered without any sightseeing and headed straight for the Murim Alliance.
As we moved toward the main gate of the rather spacious Murim Alliance, we spotted an old man standing there.
“Namu Amitabul. Welcome, Yu Sijoo.”
“I didn’t expect the Lord of the Alliance to come out personally to greet us.”
“Of course, if I received that letter. Chae Sijoo, Sayoon Sijoo, and also Hyun Sijoo, it’s good to see you all. Now, please, let’s go inside.”
Shinsung led us with his characteristic cheerful smile. Once we entered the Murim Alliance, everyone’s eyes were on us.
It must be fascinating for them to see young ones, especially superhumans, being directly guided inside by the leader of the Murim Alliance, Shinsung.
“Huh? Who’s that over there?!”
“What? Do you know them?”
“Isn’t that Yu Wol, the teacher?!”
“Huh?! Is that person really joining the Murim Alliance?!”
One martial artist shouted upon recognizing me, causing a stir among the crowd. Hearing this, Sayoon chuckled and approached me, speaking quietly.
“Mister, your fame is quite something. Everyone recognizes you!”
“Haha. Jealous?”
“Um… a little.”
“With high fame comes a lot of responsibility too. You’re dreaming of becoming a great female warrior, aren’t you? Soon, you’ll be more famous than me.”
“Aha… is that so?”
Sayoon, with a dry laugh, slightly nodded her head and turned her gaze toward Shinsung, who was walking ahead.
“Right. That should be the case. Hehe. Then first, I must defeat Chaejin!”
“First, I need to defeat Chaejin unni!”
With a cheerful laugh, Sayoon shouted as Chaejin snorted and pressed down on her head.
“Ouch, ouch.”
“You little brat. Anytime you’re ready, bring it on.”
“Haha, got it!”
While the two were playfully teasing each other, they soon arrived at their destination.
A shabby building within the Murim Alliance.
The sign on the building read “Murim Leader’s Room.”
“Please, go inside.”
They entered along with Shinsung’s polite words. For a place where the leader of the Murim Alliance—the symbol of the righteous faction—is residing, it was surprisingly shabby.
Sayoon, Chaejin, and Hyunhwi.
As they entered this unfamiliar place, Shinsung chuckled with ease.
“Haha. Just because you’re the leader doesn’t mean you need to live in a fancy room or have a luxurious life. Isn’t it enough to use only what you need? If I had the time and budget to decorate and invest in this place, it would be better to spend it on the warriors of the Murim Alliance who fight for righteousness and cooperation… That is the value of the Murim Alliance.”
“Wow…”
“Truly, very Murim Alliance-like.”
“Well, that value was also established by the first Murim leader.”
As the three nodded in admiration, Shinsung shook his head.
“To be precise, it’s the value and will of the first Murim leader’s half-brother, who sacrificed himself to establish agreements rather than seeking fame. The first Murim leader embraced this will and created the mindset that the Murim leader should have.”
Shinsung pulled on a cloth hanging on the wall. Behind the slowly shifting cloth was a single character.
义 (Righteousness)
“It’s only natural for the righteous faction to do what is right. Therefore…”
Shinsung turned their gaze toward me.
“We must sincerely thank Shinsan Seonja for recovering the relic of righteousness.”
I nodded and handed over the box. As Shinsung opened it and gazed at the sword within, a heavy sigh escaped their lips.
“Namu Amitabul. The value of righteousness has returned to the Murim Alliance.”
“I heard that giving this can earn a reward.”
“Yes.”
Shinsung opened the safe on the wall. From there, they pulled out two small accessories.
“What are these?”
“Decorations of the Northern and Southern Big Dipper. Homes adorned with these are said to always be harmonious, and if you stay in such a house for a long time, you won’t suffer from illness. It’s quite a precious treasure.”
In “Heavenly Bright Moon,” possessing the Northern and Southern Big Dipper decorations completely prevented status ailments like illnesses.
As for family harmony… I’m not so sure about that.
Nonetheless, having these meant I wouldn’t have to worry about getting sick.
I accepted the two accessories.
“I’ll make good use of them.”
“Yoo Shiju, just remember one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“There are many who covet treasures.”
Haha. Many people covet treasures, huh?
“There’s already plenty of them out there.”
If I were afraid of such things, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.
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