Chapter: 368
Hanam, known as the most developed city, shines brightly as always.
Unlike other places that naturally fall into darkness at night, Hanam means it is always glowing.
A line runs between the buildings.
The lanterns hanging from that line illuminated the city, preventing it from being engulfed in darkness. Thanks to this, Hanam was still bustling with street vendors lined up at night and people enjoying their food.
I slowly moved forward, weaving through their gaps.
I held on tightly, fearing that the bamboo stick might come off.
To be honest, I was so anxious about this that I even used my bet to diminish my presence a bit.
If someone were an ordinary person without a bet, they probably wouldn’t remember me unless they saw my face right in front of their nose.
Moreover, they might not even be aware that someone like me exists.
In that sense…
From the moment I encountered him, I realized that the person following me was no ordinary man.
He was a man who had pinpointed me, even though I was trying to erase my presence.
This was the same person who had just asked for directions to Baekrim Inn moments ago.
Though I couldn’t observe him closely, I could tell that he was a formidable warrior.
The energy I sensed was sharp.
His gait and unique breathing were distinctly those of a swordsman.
Even if that weren’t the case, I could confirm he was a swordsman just from the sword at his waist.
His skill level, regardless of any shortcomings, was at a peak.
He might have reached the Hwagyeong state, but the way he concealed his true level indicated he was likely hiding his abilities.
Just because he hid it doesn’t mean I can’t see it.
Really, it only meant that even if it weren’t superb, his skills were still quite mature.
Who on earth could he be?
With a warrior of this caliber, he should be a known figure. It was hard to identify just from his presence alone.
In the midst of all this, there was something unexpected.
“So, about my daughter…”
“…”
The man, who seemed sharp and heavy-set, turns out to be surprisingly talkative.
Most of what he shared was about his daughter.
To the point where it felt rather bothersome.
“You know, that already cute girl has been getting prettier lately…”
“Is that so?”
“How adorable she is, resembling her mother.”
The laughter in his voice revealed how deeply he cherished his daughter.
His daughter, huh.
‘Then she must be the female warrior staying at Baekrim Inn.’
A few names crossed my mind.
There aren’t many women staying at Shinryonggwan.
Finding a swordswoman among them is even trickier.
Of course, just because a father wields a sword doesn’t mean their child will.
Take Gu Hyo-gun as an example; his father is a martial artist, yet Gu Hee-bi has gained fame as a swordsman.
‘Who could it be? Is she from Yan family or Seon family?’
He felt like someone from a notable clan, but while I know a bit, I’m not obsessed with women, and I certainly don’t memorize every single last name.
I could only think of about five possibilities.
From the smile in his voice, he seemed to be connected to an existing survivor’s family.
I subtly cast a glance back at the man.
His face was obscured by the bamboo stick pressed against him.
Would he be able to tell if I was looking?
If I mixed in a bet to boost my perception, I might get a clear view.
But if I did that, the man would definitely notice my intent to snoop.
That would probably upset him, so out of curiosity, I wouldn’t try it.
The reason I, who usually don’t care about others, was intrigued by this man was simply this.
‘…What if…’
What if he was family to someone close to me?
All the heads of the prestigious families, known as the Four Great Families, had announced their attendance.
Among them, three had ties to me, and I figured there might be an opportunity that one of them had a daughter.
But honestly, I didn’t linger on such thoughts for long.
‘With seven days and nights remaining, there’s no way they could have arrived already.’
Speaking of the Four Great Families, they are the crème de la crème of the esteemed clans.
This implies that the heads of the Four Great Families are individuals who must uphold tremendous reputation and honor.
That also means they must be filled with people of strong pride.
Could this be a prejudice? I don’t think so.
Given that they were already neck-deep in power struggles.
The political gathering held big significance in such conflicts.
The first ‘match’ they would hold here would be amusingly simple:
Who would arrive first?
Even if someone is not late, arriving first is unacceptable.
You might wonder what kind of fight this could be.
It’s surprisingly common, even if it sounds childish.
With seven days and nights left, who arrives first?
That thought holds no water among aristocrats who’ve been battling for pride their entire lives.
‘So at least this gentleman isn’t from that side.’
Dressed like that, he did appear quite shabby, contrasting with the aura he emitted.
Certainly not fitting to be called a person of noble parentage.
A family head with no carriage or servants and getting lost asking for directions wouldn’t likely happen.
Surely, not.
With these thoughts in mind, I quickened my pace a bit.
A voice came from the man behind me.
“May I ask what business you have at the inn, young hero?”
“…I have an acquaintance there.”
“A friend, I see.”
His tone suggested he didn’t see me as someone staying there.
“Small group.”
“Yes.”
How annoying, why do you keep trying to engage me?
“Do you happen to know about the legend known as Xiao Yanluo—the Little Yama?”
“…”
The man’s question made my shoulders involuntarily jump. Just hearing that nickname felt like it could burn my ears.
“…Why do you ask?”
“Oh, it’s just that he has been a famous warrior around Hanam lately.”
“…Famous, I guess. With all the ridiculous rumors floating around.”
Damn.
A day has come where I’d hear someone else talk about me like that.
The man seemed completely unaware that I was that ‘Xiao Yanluo’… no, that fellow.
“So the rumors are indeed just hot air. You think so as well?”
“Yes, definitely. They’re huge bubbles.”
As soon as I said that, the man suddenly patted my shoulder.
What the heck is wrong with this guy?
Wondering why he was acting this way, I noticed he appeared unusually delighted.
“Young man, you seem awfully insightful. I really like that.”
“…Out of nowhere?”
Where did he get the idea that I was particularly insightful? All I said was that the rumors were full of hot air.
‘Is he off his rocker?’
Putting those thoughts together, I found myself naturally pulling a bit away from him.
I figured it would just be better to quickly drop him off and part ways.
I quickened my steps.
Although the distance to the inn wasn’t far, the sheer number of gathered people made it feel a bit annoying.
Hanam was normally a crowded area, but today, it was exceptionally packed.
The cause is obvious; it’s a meeting.
Specifically, people had gathered to see the big names attending.
Most of those monstrous figures referred to as kings of the age were present.
This gathering featured half of the top one hundred masters and many elite figures among them.
It was a rare occasion for people to come together to glimpse monsters they’d never seen before.
That is to say, just as the crowd grew, the condition started before even the seven days and nights had passed.
“Small group.”
Hurrying my way, the man called out to me once more.
Should I just tell him not to talk to me because I’m annoyed?
“Do you have a fiancée, young hero?”
Are you really asking about my personal affairs now?
“…I do have a fiancée.”
I found myself answering once again.
“I see, do you like your fiancée.”
“Not that I dislike her.”
Why is he asking such useless questions?
It makes it hard to breathe.
After hearing my response, the man abruptly fell silent. I thought perhaps he had run out of things to say.
“My daughter has been saying…”
Nope, not done yet.
Here we go again; how much longer until we reach the inn?
‘Not much left, thankfully.’
Deciding that I would no longer respond, I planned to just keep walking.
It’s best to get away quickly.
“My sweet and lovely girl seems to have fallen for some scoundrel.”
“Haha. Really?”
Now that’s genuinely personal stuff.
Hearing his concerns made me wonder how exasperated he must have been to bring it up. Regardless, it was information I was genuinely indifferent about.
“Apparently, he’s a man who even has a fiancée.”
“Really?”
However, this seemed to catch my attention.
So his daughter likes a guy with a fiancée?
That poor guy’s daughter must not have her head on straight. Why would she like that?
“They say he mentioned breaking off with his fiancée to meet my daughter… What a rotten scoundrel.”
“Sounds like a lunatic.”
Now that is indeed insane.
Holding a fiancée but looking to seduce another woman?
Are they implying he intends to break up and go to another woman?
‘How proud does one have to be to engage in such behavior?’
He must be tall and undeniably handsome. I have no idea who he is, but he’s certainly living an easy life.
In the meantime, I could only feel pity for the girl who fell for this scumbag.
Someone like that would quickly ditch his lady for another.
How typical of a romance story.
‘Tsk, tsk.’
It’s likely that she’s a naive young lady unaware of how the world works.
Regardless, hearing about what these kids are up to these days makes my head spin.
Of course, if one asked me if I’ve had a lot of such experiences, I wouldn’t have much to say on that front.
“You must be suffering greatly.”
Although I had intended not to say anything, given the situation, I decided to add a remark.
“Thank you for your understanding… and by the way.”
“And… what else is there?”
“No, I heard rumors that this scoundrel has more women besides our daughter.”
“…He’s quite a remarkable guy in many ways.”
So there are even more than a couple?
Wow, he really is something else. How does he pull that off?
If that’s talent, then it is talent indeed.
‘Should I envy that talent?’
It is indeed something men would typically envy.
But why don’t I feel particularly envious of it?
While I was feeling a bit uneasy, the man continued to speak.
“While I tried to overlook this for my daughter’s sake, if the rumors are indeed true…”
‘If it’s true?’
“I plan to break his arms and legs, no matter what.”
The man’s voice held a sense of menace. He seemed sincere about this.
Well, truth be told, I’ve never had a child of my own.
If this situation were true, I’d probably have gone and torn that lunatic apart.
“I see… I hope your wishes come true.”
“It was probably useless talk. Thank you for listening, young hero.”
It seemed like he himself had realized he was only spinning about odd conversational topics.
Hearing this made me chuckle.
“It was kind of entertaining.”
That was a fib.
It wasn’t enjoyable at all, but since it was time to part anyway, I figured I would just humor him a bit.
The time to part meant we had literally arrived at the Baekrim Inn.
Wasn’t this the largest inn in Hanam? The inn that Mo Yong-hee had mentioned before was also quite vast and nice.
This place seemed to hold up pretty well.
Particularly, the food was rather tasty.
‘I wonder if the kids are waiting for me.’
Having been doing crazy stuff in the mountains lately, my meal times had become all mixed up, so I told them they should eat without waiting for me if it weren’t possible.
But it turns out they did wait for me.
Thanks to that, I was trying my best to return as quickly as possible. If this was all calculated, that would indeed be quite something.
I grasped the doorknob to Baekrim Inn. Just then, the man spoke up again.
“Thank you for your guidance. I shall reward you when the time is right.”
Upon hearing that, I opened the door.
Creeeak.
As the door swung open, the interior of the guesthouse came into view.
“There’s no need for any reward. It was merely the same route, after all.”
I said this purely to avoid further entanglement, but the man let out a soft chuckle as if he took it differently.
“That’s not the case. If you’ve done me a favor, it’s the duty to repay it. I, Mo Yong-tae, will certainly acknowledge you, young hero.”
“No, really, there’s no need—… wait?”
The moment I stepped outside after hastily opening the door, my body stiffened.
…What did that man just say? How did he introduce himself?
“Mo Yong…?”
“Confucius!”
A familiar voice echoed in my ears. It was Mo Yong-hee.
She dashed toward me as if she had spotted me from afar.
“Oh no! I just got a message that Father has just arrived in Hanam… Huh?”
Mo Yong-hee, who was rare to come close, appeared flustered as she stood before me.
I turned my gaze toward the man who had followed me in, and I stood frozen like a statue.
After confirming this, I turned back around.
Ki-ki-ki-ki.
My neck turned stiffly, as if rusty.
With great effort, I glimpsed the man’s face beyond the bamboo stick.
A sharp nose and thick eyebrows.
He was a middle-aged man with chilling, frosty eyes.
From his appearance, exuding a mix of toughness and warmth, I could spot Mo Yong-hee standing in front of me.
“…G-Great Lord?”
Mo Yong-hee spoke to the middle-aged man in a trembling voice.
Hearing that immediately left my mind blank.
Meanwhile, the man’s gaze fixated on me.
His eyes bore the chill of ice.
“Small hero.”
His tone calling me was entirely different from before.
The man, who had been sharing tales of his daughter, had a heartwarming tone filled with the affection of a doting father.
But now…
It was a voice suppressing emotions that seemed ready to explode.
“…Uh… huh?”
“It’s late for questions, but…”
Tap.
The man’s hand gently rested on my shoulder.
It seemed he merely placed it lightly, yet my shoulder felt heavy as if it could collapse under the weight.
“What is your name?”
“…”
A question saturated with intensity made me nod involuntarily.
Ah, so that’s how it is.
It looked like I was in a rather tricky spot.
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