At no other time had I felt so vividly that I had entered the world of a martial arts fiction.
“Mister! Look over there! The plum blossom insignia! It’s the Huashan Sect! They must be the Plum Blossom Swordsmen!”
Hye-ryeong’s eyes sparkled as she excitedly made a commotion.
Are the Plum Blossom Swordsmen that famous?
Upon reflection, swordsmen in martial arts stories were always the martial artists who appeared at the forefront, so it wasn’t hard to understand why Hye-ryeong was making such a fuss.
I too was curious about the Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Sword Technique of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.
Do plum blossoms really bloom when they swing their swords?
I’ve seen them draw isosceles triangles with their swords, but making flowers bloom with just a sword is truly unimaginable. I also wondered if there would be a scent of flowers.
“Flowers, really? Do plum blossoms really bloom?”
“That’s correct, Great Hero Wi. The swordsmen of Huashan Sect can make plum blossoms bloom from their swords when they reach a certain level of mastery. I once had the privilege to witness it, and they were truly beautiful.”
While speaking to me, Ha-jin seemed lost in thought, a wistful expression on her face.
Was it truly that beautiful?
“It would be good to have the opportunity to cross swords with a Plum Blossom Swordsman…”
Behind me, I heard the voice of Muguang laced with anticipation.
Given his obsession with swords, sparring with a Plum Blossom Swordsmen must have been a dream come true for Muguang.
However, at this stage, Muguang wasn’t ready to face them. From what I could see, they seemed to be seasoned veterans.
Of course, judging by sight alone, they could have reached an even higher level, maybe even the same level as me, or higher.
In any case, they were certainly not an easy opponent.
I wondered how far I could go against them with my knightly martial arts.
Curiosity quietly stirred within my chest.
“Ho ho, it’s good that everyone is eager, but we have business to attend to, so please hurry along.”
“Yes!”
“Okay!”
“Understood.”
We began moving again.
We are here with a clear purpose, not for sightseeing, so we can’t wander around like tourists.
We must quickly meet with the Martial Alliance Leader to update him on the recent emergence of the Demonic Sect and determine when to hold a conference to assemble the martial realm to fight against them.
Although I may not be able to attend the meeting directly, Elder Baek has no reason to withhold the contents from me.
Once settled in, my plan was to look for the protagonist under the pretense of sightseeing. I need to check on the protagonist’s status to decide the next course of action.
I must confirm how much fortune they have amassed and aim to build a close relationship.
Even if they lack fortune, the protagonist is still the protagonist, destined to become an extraordinary martial arts grandmaster with talents beyond reason.
Since my obtaining fortune wouldn’t prevent me from reaching a high level, it would be best to include them as an ally if possible, an essential piece to overcome the original work’s numerous trials.
…Of course, all this is predicated on the protagonist existing in this world.
Do they exist?
It would be better if they do, but if not, it’ll lead to very troublesome situations.
If the protagonist doesn’t exist, it would mean that I have to handle all the events that the protagonist couldn’t resolve.
And there’s no guarantee that I can resolve everything either.
“Uncle? Are you listening to me?”
“…Ah, sorry. I was just thinking.”
“Thinking about what?”
Hye-ryeong’s curious gaze felt like needles pricking my cheek. Since I can’t reveal the truth about the original work and the protagonist, I offered a vague reply.
“I was pondering what to do first now that we’ve arrived at the Martial Alliance.”
“Of course, now that we’re here, we should explore the Martial Alliance first, right?”
…That’s true.
Since I’ll need to visit the pavilion where the patrolmen reside to look for the protagonist anyway, I can use this opportunity to explore the Martial Alliance with Hye-ryeong.
“…That’s right. We’ll move after we finish our errands.”
“Yay~”
We started moving again toward the Martial Alliance Leader’s office.
“Leader, Elder Bai Xian from Hai Nan Sword Sect has arrived.”
“Please invite him in.”
“Please go in.”
“This will be a long discussion, so could you kindly arrange for someone to guide us to lodgings?”
“Understood…Members of Hai Nan Sword Sect, please follow me.”
We moved toward the lodgings with the martial arts expert who guarded outside the Martial Alliance Leader’s office.
The martial artist silently guided us to our accommodations without a word.
“Here…is this the lodging for Hai Nan Sword Sect?”
“Yes.”
As one of the Nine Sects and Eight Schools, relatively new and junior, Hai Nan Sword Sect’s lodging was quite tucked away. The building is one of the more recently constructed within Martial Alliance, so it’s said to be the cleanest, right?
But maybe because Hai Nan Sword Sect is rather small,
The lodging wasn’t very large. It could easily accommodate around a hundred people, but compared to the quarters for the Nine Sects and Eight Schools that I passed along the way, it was slightly lacking, inevitably.
After all, in terms of size, the sects of the Nine Sects and Eight Schools are around two to three times larger.
Including the secular followers, the difference in size is almost laughable. So, it’s understandable that there’s a difference in the size of lodgings.
“That’s it.”
They named it Hanan Quarters. Whoever came up with it sure didn’t put much thought into it.
“Thank you, Brother.”
“I’ve just done my duty. If you need anything, please pass your request through the attendants, as I will inform them.”
With those words, he turned around and walked back. He was heading back to the Martial Alliance Leader’s office, no doubt. I stared at him as he walked away and then turned my head to look at Hai Nan Quarters.
So, I’ll be living here from now on. With this size, I’ll probably get my own room.
“Elder Brother! Hurry and come inside!”
“Little Sister. There’s no need to rush me; I’ll come in soon.”
Ha-jin gently reprimanded Hye-ryeong in a soft voice and lifted her foot off the ground to enter Hai Nan Quarters. As he pushed open the door, the hinges made a scratching sound.
“It’s quite spacious.”
Just as Ha-jin said, the interior was very spacious. The pillars and walls looked freshly cleaned, gleaming with shine, and the decorative items placed around were pristine at first glance.
Were they expecting us and had a thorough cleaning before we arrived? I removed my tightly worn straw hat and loosened my neck.
“Hehe, Elder Brother, how are we going to decide the rooms?”
“Hye-ryeong Little Sister will use the room on the left. Being a woman, you’d probably prefer not to share quarters too close to the men—”
“Um, alright!”
Hye-ryng vigorously nodded her head, then glanced at me before walking down the left corridor with her belongings. Her spirited gait was as if she already knew exactly where her room was.
Does she know, or doesn’t she?
Her overly confident steps made it hard to gauge.
“Let’s choose our rooms.”
“Which room shall Master use?”
“Please prepare the best room for him.”
“Understood.”
We all moved together towards the right corridor. After navigating a long yet short corridor, we stopped near what resembled a lobby where rooms congregated and began to look around the surrounding rooms.
“A garden in the middle…”
“Big Brother, let’s give the largest room to Elder Bai and we’ll use the one over there.”
“Agreed. Muguang, please share the room with Elder Bai.”
“Understood.”
“Which room would you like to use, Great Hero Wi?”
“Hmm…”
I folded my arms and looked around at the remaining rooms. There were more rooms than I could count on both hands, but it didn’t seem to make much difference which one I chose.
Still, staying close to the corridor could mean easily being woken up by walking sounds, and staying too far away could be inconvenient.
Which position should I choose? While contemplating, Jian San approached me and tapped my shoulder.
“What’s the matter?”
The corridor? Is he indicating the corridor?
I looked at the direction Jian San pointed to with his finger. The corridor we had just passed through. Is he suggesting I return that way?
Suddenly dismissing me?
It’s frustrating not knowing the reason because he can’t speak.
“Why am I being sent away?”
“…”
In response to my question, Jian San raised both his hands, intertwining them as if to indicate something.
…What does that mean?
Still, since Jian San approached me and pointed towards the corridor, I decided to take a look. I walked towards the corridor and peeked through.
On the other side of the corridor, a familiar face was looking at me.
Has he already unpacked?
Without unpacking my luggage, I approached Hye-ryeong.
“Are you done unpacking?”
“Hehe, we can unpack later, right? Has Mr. decided on a room yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“Then why don’t you use the room on the left?”
“Um, that might be…”
I wasn’t planning on agreeing anyway. It would be too uncomfortable, and I’d be too conscious.
Yet, I understood Hye-ryeong’s feelings to some extent.
This large building might feel lonely if she’s all by herself, so she’s trying to involve me. But I wouldn’t possibly agree…
“Ho ho, what’s going on?”
“Grand Elder! I’ve chosen my room—”
Hye-ryeong expressed her opinion to Elder Bai as if she were narrating a mischievous story to her grandfather. Elder Bai, seeing Hye-ryeong’s firm stance, stroked his beard and looked at me.
“Great Hero Wi, since Hye-ryeong earnestly wishes this, wouldn’t it be good to accept? It also makes me worry less to leave her alone.”
“Hoever…”
“Great Hero Wi is a person of firm principles. I believe you’d be able to endure that much. And… hmm…”
Did she just poke my ribs just now? Must be my imagination.
After glancing at Hye-ryeong’s slightly reddened face, I nodded.
…If I need to move quietly, it would be better to be less noticeable.
“Understood.”
“Hehe, I’ll show you a good room!”
This is impossible to handle.
Suppressing the somewhat proud voice of Elder Bai in the background, I chuckled and headed to the left corridor with Hye-ryeong.
“It’s good…it’s good…”
Ignoring Elder Bai’s slightly proud muttering.
