Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 145

145. The People Who Leave

Un Hyun was momentarily speechless.

“Uh…….”

It was clearly a word of kindness.

Seeing Moyeong Mi’s cheeks slightly flushed in the light, it was clear that she wasn’t just saying it.

But Un Hyun had never heard a young lady in her prime, especially a beautiful woman like Moyeong Mi, say such a thing.

So he didn’t know how to react.

“Uh, well…….”

“So, are you going back to the Murim Alliance [a large organization of martial artists]?”
Moyeong Mi said, as if trying to break the awkward silence.

She was also clumsy at this sort of thing.

“Ah, yes.”

Un Hyun quickly smiled and replied.

“Since I’m in this situation, that’s the only place I can return to. Haha.”

He laughed exaggeratedly to hide his flustered feelings.

“……I see.”

But Moyeong Mi’s expression wasn’t very bright.

She lowered her gaze and was silent for a moment, as if thinking about something.

But the silence didn’t last long.

Swish.

“Perhaps.”
Moyeong Mi said, looking straight at Un Hyun.

Her eyes sparkled beautifully in the light.

“If you have nowhere to go, come to the Moyeong Clan.”
Moyeong Mi smiled.

“Un Haksa [a respectful title], you are always welcome.”

Her smile was beautiful.

But the affection in her words was even warmer, and Un Hyun’s heart welled up.

“……Yes.”

Un Hyun replied in a slightly choked voice.

He didn’t even notice that Moyeong Mi had called him ‘Un Haksa’ a moment ago.

Swish.

Un Hyun put his hands together and bowed.

“Thank you.”

Un Hyun said with sincerity.

The polite bow was Un Hyun’s best way of expressing his sincerity.

Rustle.

Moyeong Mi also bowed her head in response to Un Hyun’s bow.

Although a cold night air was settling all around, the two people’s hearts were rather warm.

***

Deep in the night, Moyeong Mi wasn’t the only one waiting for Un Hyun.

“Yes? What did you say?”

Un Hyun widened his eyes and asked back.

But Yeonghojun frowned instead.

“Tsk tsk, that’s not a good reaction, Secretary Un.”

Yeonghojun said with a serious expression.

“Pretending not to hear is a kind of foul play. If you write it wrong, you might be hated by the woman for ignoring her.”

“No, that’s not it…….”

When Un Hyun asked again at the absurd answer, Yeonghojun smiled.

Yeonghojun, the most handsome man in Seoh, nodded and put his hand on Un Hyun’s shoulder.

“Of course, Secretary Un going to Shaolin [a famous Buddhist monastery known for martial arts] is a secret from Lady Dang Seol-ryeon.”

After glancing left and right, Yeonghojun said as if whispering.

“She hates being deceived. If this gets out, Secretary Un will need a silver spoon every time he drinks tea. Like me.”

Yeonghojun spoke nonchalantly about the terrible threat to his life from Dang Seol-ryeon, the snow flower of the Dang Clan.

“Think of it positively. Wouldn’t it be nice to see Shaolin on this occasion? Ah, have you ever been there?”

“No, it’s not that…….”

“That’s good. Anyway, think of this as Secretary Un’s karma [destiny or fate] and please work hard. Here’s a letter to show to Shaolin.”

‘Karma?’

In the meantime, Yeonghojun held out a letter.

Un Hyun accepted the letter without realizing it.

Rustle.

He still couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Why Un Hyun alone had to go to Shaolin when the entire investigation team was returning to the Murim Alliance, and why that was deceiving Dang Seol-ryeon.

The only thing he understood was that if Dang Seol-ryeon found out about this, he would need a silver spoon.

And that this was an order from Yeonghojun, the head of the investigation team.

“It would be best to leave tonight. Well, let’s see each other alive.”

Yeonghojun smiled naturally, giving a somehow terrifying greeting.

Then, before Un Hyun could say anything, he turned and walked away.

“Y, Great Hero Yeonghojun!”

Un Hyun called out, but Yeonghojun just waved his hand.

Un Hyun, who was left alone in an instant, stared down at the letter in his hand and muttered blankly.

“Go to Shaolin Temple? Alone?”

Rustle.

The thin letter made a light sound in Un Hyun’s hand.

***

The next morning, Plum Sword Yeonghojun was paying his respects to Moyeong Dancheon, the head of the Moyeong Clan.

“Thank you for your trouble.”

Sword Master Moyeong Dancheon said with a generous smile.

“The Moyeong Clan is also a member of the Murim Alliance, so it’s natural to cooperate with the investigation team. Don’t worry about it.”

It wasn’t as simple as it sounded.

Depending on how you look at it, it’s quite a blow to the pride to have the Murim Alliance investigation team staying here.

However, such emotions were not revealed at all on Sword Master Moyeong Dancheon’s face.

Plum Sword Yeonghojun smiled and replied.

“Thank you even more for saying that.”

Moyeong Dancheon nodded.

“Next time…….”

Yeonghojun paused for a moment and then looked at Sword Master Moyeong Dancheon and said.

“Perhaps I’ll see you at the Alliance. Please take care of me then.”

It was an ambiguous remark, but Sword Master Moyeong Dancheon simply responded with a smile.

Plum Sword Yeonghojun, who had finished greeting the head of the family, came outside.

Looking back at the investigation team who had finished preparing to leave, Yeonghojun asked.

“Well, is everyone ready to leave?”

“You’re the only one who’s not ready.”

At Dang Seol-ryeon’s sharp voice, Yeonghojun shrugged.

“I was just asking, why are you so angry?”

However, Dang Seol-ryeon’s voice did not subside at all.

“It’s already noon. Why are you being so slow? If you had hurried a little, we would have already left.”

It was natural that she was upset.

Since a big incident had occurred in the Yangtze River, they had to return to the Murim Alliance as soon as possible.

Because at this moment, she didn’t know what kind of discussions or secret talks were taking place in the Murim Alliance.

“Don’t rush so much.”

Plum Sword Yeonghojun turned his head and looked around the Moyeong Clan.

“This might be the last time we receive such generous treatment from the Moyeong Clan.”

Dang Seol-ryeon’s eyes changed slightly.

“What does that mean?”

Yeonghojun shrugged and said.

“Who knows? The Moyeong Clan might send a representative to the Murim Alliance. If that happens, we won’t be able to expect this kind of treatment.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Dang Seol-ryeon scoffed.

“It’s been decades since the Murim Alliance was founded, but no new sects have sent representatives. Only the Eighteen Great Sects can send representatives.”

Dispatching a representative to the Murim Alliance had a significant meaning.

It meant that they were recognized as a sect that influenced the entire Jianghu Murim [the martial arts world], going beyond just being the leader of one province.

Therefore, no sects had been able to send new representatives to the Murim Alliance for the past few decades.

It was so widely rumored that there would be no such sects even after a hundred years, so Dang Seol-ryeon’s conviction was by no means excessive.

“That’s why the Murim Alliance is so boring.”

Yeonghojun, who muttered to himself, got on his horse.

Whizz, thud.

“Okay, let’s go. It’s polite for uninvited guests to disappear quickly.”

Just as Yeonghojun was about to move, grabbing the reins.

“Wait.”

Dang Seol-ryeon said in a sharp voice.

“Where is Secretary Un?”

“Huh? Isn’t he here?”

“I haven’t seen him at all since this morning.”

Dang Seol-ryeon said, looking straight at Yeonghojun.

It was a meaning of questioning, but Yeonghojun said shamelessly.

“Is that so? But I can’t just wait…….”

Shrugging his shoulders, Yeonghojun continued.

“Let’s just leave him behind.”

“Yes?”

Even Dang Seol-ryeon couldn’t hide her embarrassment this time.

But Yeonghojun said as shamelessly as ever.

“Anyway, we can’t force his actions, can we? He can go if he wants, come if he wants, and be a secretary if he wants.”

Yeonghojun clicked his tongue.

“……I’m really jealous of him.”

Dang Seol-ryeon let Yeonghojun’s words flow into her ears and looked around.

However, Un Hyun, who had not been seen since morning, was not likely to appear now.

Dang Seol-ryeon bit her lip.

‘What’s going on?’

Un Hyun, whom she saw, was not someone who acted arbitrarily like Yeonghojun said.

But since Yeonghojun was pretending not to know, there was no way to find out more.

‘I can’t understand my grandfather’s words at all…….’

That day, Dokseon met Un Hyun at Cheoljeong Mountain as Dang Seol-ryeon had requested.

However, what Dokseon said to her afterwards was completely unexpected.

―I have to see him take responsibility.

And Dokseon closed his mouth.

Even Dang Seol-ryeon couldn’t hear anything more than that.

But today, Un Hyun had disappeared altogether.

“Okay, let’s go quickly.”

Plum Sword Yeonghojun’s voice echoed in her ears.

Dangmun Seolhwa Dang Seol-ryeon frowned without realizing it.

It’s not just anyone, it’s the successor of the Sword Saint.

Losing track of his whereabouts could be a serious matter.

But she couldn’t keep delaying here.

‘Anyway.’

Dang Seol-ryeon clicked her tongue softly.

Plum Sword Yeonghojun must have done something.

Dang Seol-ryeon knew better than anyone that he wouldn’t have such a sly expression otherwise.

“……Let’s go.”

Dang Seol-ryeon said in an unwilling voice.

Thus, the Murim Alliance investigation team left the Moyeong Clan.

***

The people who saw off the departing Murim Alliance investigation team were the chief disciple Moyeong Jin and the head of the outer hall, Moyeong Mi.

Looking at the backs of the investigation team as they moved away, Moyeong Mi said quietly.

“Brother, stop looking around.”

“Oh, but.”

The chief disciple Moyeong Jin said with a puzzled expression.

“You can’t see Un Daein [another respectful title], can you?”

“Un Haksa.”

Moyeong Mi said with a slight sigh.

“He left first last night.”

“What?”

Moyeong Jin was startled.

But Moyeong Mi continued calmly.

“He said he was going to Shaolin for Murim Alliance business.”

“Shaolin?”

Moyeong Jin tilted his head.

It was strange that he suddenly left for Shaolin, alone.

But the question that had just arisen was more important to Moyeong Jin.

“But how did you…….”

Before her brother’s suspicions turned into unnecessary speculation, Moyeong Mi quickly replied.

As calmly as possible, as if nothing had happened.

“He came to see me last night. He said he had to go to Shaolin for Murim Alliance business and asked if I could help him.”

Un Hyun requested a horse and directions to Shaolin.

Moyeong Mi prepared everything Un Hyun needed without asking any questions.

Of course, she also informed the head of the family, Moyeong Dancheon, and obtained his permission.

“He couldn’t tell you because he left in a hurry. He told me to tell you he was sorry and that he would definitely stop by again.”

“R, really?”

Despite Moyeong Mi’s clear explanation, Moyeong Jin still had questions.

Why did Un Hyun ask Moyeong Mi instead of Moyeong Jin himself?

And that too, late at night.

“Don’t get the wrong idea.”
Moyeong Mi said with a slight frown.

“It’s because he knew I was awake because I saw you in the training hall for a while. Sang-ah was there too.”

Moyeong Mi wasn’t the only one who saw Un Hyun off.

Moyeong Sang-ah, who had come to see her sister at that time and was acting spoiled because she couldn’t sleep, was also able to see Un Hyun off.

“Ah, I see.”

Moyeong Jin nodded.

He didn’t ask when they had become so close that he could ask for help so casually.

Because he didn’t want to trouble his younger sister, who already had a heavy burden.

“Ah, and.”
Moyeong Mi cleared her throat softly and continued.

“Great Hero Dokgo Rang also left with him.”

“What?”