Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 124

124. Seo-gi’s Visit

“Do you really have to go?”

Lee Ho-am, the head of the Ho-am Merchant Guild, asked his daughter, Lee Seo-yeon.

“Yes, Father.”

Lee Seo-yeon replied with a smile.

“It’s very rare for the head of the Namgung Clan to move. If I miss this opportunity, I will definitely regret it.”

The head’s movement means that the entire power of the Namgung Clan is being mobilized.

It’s a great opportunity that may not come again anytime soon.

“Hmm.”

Head Lee Ho-am frowned slightly.

His daughter’s words were correct.

However, Lee Ho-am couldn’t understand why she had to take the risk.

“Father.”

Lee Seo-yeon spoke softly, as if she had noticed Lee Ho-am’s thoughts.

“Sometimes, there are things you can never know unless you see them for yourself. I want to use this opportunity to see what kind of relationship our Ho-am Merchant Guild should have with the Namgung Clan.”

You can’t know unless you see it for yourself.

That had become Lee Seo-yeon’s unwavering belief since she saw Yun-hyun’s ‘that sight’ last time.

“But there will be no one to protect you in case something happens.”

“Don’t worry, Father.”

Lee Seo-yeon smiled brightly.

Her beautiful appearance in her prime was blooming like a flower.

“Nothing will ever put me in danger.”

Her shining eyes were full of confidence.

Seeing that, Lee Ho-am knew that he couldn’t stop her anymore.

“I understand. But take a bodyguard with you.”

Lee Seo-yeon pouted.

“Don’t you know that if things are going to go wrong anyway, it doesn’t matter if I have a bodyguard or not?”

“Think of it as insurance.”

The old Lee Ho-am said firmly.

Lee Seo-yeon nodded as if she couldn’t help it.

“Okay. Then I’ll be back.”

Swish.

Lee Seo-yeon reached out and hugged her father, Lee Ho-am.

“Thank you, Father.”

Lee Ho-am was still frowning.

But Lee Seo-yeon could clearly tell that he was no longer angry.

“I’ll be back.”

Lee Seo-yeon said with a light bow.

“I won’t tell you to be careful.”

Lee Ho-am said in a heavy voice.

“But if you come back without any gain, I won’t forgive you.”

Lee Seo-yeon clearly saw the old Lee Ho-am’s eyes shining sharply.

“Don’t worry.”

Lee Seo-yeon said in a rather clear voice.

“Rather than that, you should pay attention to my brothers this time. If you leave them alone for too long, they might get ambitious.”

Lee Seo-yeon waved her hand slightly.

“Then see you later, Father.”

Clack.

The door to the office closed, and Lee Ho-am sighed softly.

The young daughter’s spirit was admirable, but to the old Lee Ho-am, it sometimes felt reckless.

‘But.’

Lee Ho-am muttered, clenching his wrinkled hand.

“You can’t achieve anything without taking risks.”

In that respect, his daughter Lee Seo-yeon resembled Lee Ho-am.

Her fearless actions, her courage not to fear danger, and her audacity not to fear the world.

Lee Ho-am sighed softly.

These days, he especially felt how old he had become.

***

“Welcome.”

The chief manager of the Moryong Clan, who was waiting in front of the main gate, bowed politely.

There was not a single flaw in his manner of welcoming the honored guest of the Murim Alliance [Martial Arts Alliance].

“Thank you for your hard work in coming such a long way.”

“Thank you for welcoming our sudden visit like this.”

Young-ho-jun, the Plum Blossom Sword, bowed and replied.

It was true that it was a sudden visit, even though he had sent a letter in advance.

Moreover, the number of people was not small.

Including a dozen attendants and thirty bodyguards, the investigation team numbered about fifty people.

“You’re most welcome. It’s only natural that we should do this.”

The elderly chief manager wore a gentle smile.

However, Young-ho-jun did not miss the chief manager’s gaze briefly turning to the back.

“The Clan Lord is waiting, so please come inside.”

At the chief manager’s words, Young-ho-jun nodded.

Tang Seol-yeon, who had been frowning and looking at the Moryong Clan, also moved her feet.

Step, step.

The elderly chief manager, Young-ho-jun, and Tang Seol-yeon disappeared into the clan.

The remaining attendants and bodyguards were busy unloading luggage and tying up horses.

And among them was Yun-hyun, a new scribe who was diligently unloading luggage.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been here.’

Yun-hyun, who was unloading luggage, looked at the Moryong Clan and thought anew.

‘I wonder if everyone is doing well?’

The memories of the Moryong Clan are pleasant to Yun-hyun.

There was also the young man Moryong-jin, who had a promising future, the cute little girl Moryong Sang-ah, and Moryong-mi, who had a mature atmosphere.

‘Everyone will be happy to see me after a long time.’

Yun-hyun vaguely thought so.

Until he knew what the purpose of the investigation team was.

***

‘Hmm.’

Moryong Dan-cheon, the Clan Lord of the Moryong Clan and known as Gwanilgeom [Piercing Sun Sword], frowned.

Two representatives of the Murim Alliance were sitting in front of him.

Young-ho-jun, the Plum Blossom Sword of the Hwasan Sect, and Tang Seol-yeon, the famous Snow Flower of the Tang Clan, Tangmun Seolhwa.

They were opponents that the Moryong Clan had no choice but to treat with respect.

But the problem was with the matter they had brought.

“You said it was a strange letter?”

“Saying it that way is misleading.”

Young-ho-jun, who had the appearance of a nobleman, said with a smile.

“We are only trying to confirm whether there is a connection between the letter received by the Moryong Clan and the strange letter that the Musim Clan received.”

“I understand your intention.”

Moryong Dan-cheon said in a heavy voice.

“But associating our Moryong Clan with a place like the Musim Clan is very insulting to me.”

His momentum was quite impressive.

Young-ho-jun admired him inwardly and said politely.

“Of course, I understand. But…”

“If you show us the letter.”

A woman’s voice interrupted Young-ho-jun’s words.

Tangmun Seolhwa Tang Seol-yeon, who was sitting next to him, said coldly.

“Everything will be over.”

Moryong Dan-cheon frowned.

Even if she was a representative of the Tang Clan, Tang Seol-yeon was excessively arrogant.

“Heh heh.”

Moryong Dan-cheon chuckled.

“I know that neither the Murim Alliance nor the Tang Clan has the authority to inspect the private letters of the clan.”

Moryong Dan-cheon said, stroking his beard.

“But if the Tang Clan does not give up its intention, our Moryong Clan will have no choice but to take it seriously.”

That was a clear refusal.

For a moment, Moryong Dan-cheon and Tang Seol-yeon’s eyes met, but neither of them looked away first.

“How can we inspect the Moryong Clan?”

Young-ho-jun stepped forward.

No matter how much the other party was the Tang Clan, they would not cooperate even if they had to lower the pride of their clan.

However, since he knew that Tang Seol-yeon would never back down first, Young-ho-jun had no choice but to seek mediation.

“It would be enough if you could cooperate to dispel the Murim Alliance’s concerns.”

That meant there was room for negotiation.

Moryong Dan-cheon looked at Young-ho-jun.

“What exactly do you want?”

“The recipient and sender of the letter, and a rough outline of the contents.”

Tang Seol-yeon said as if she had been waiting.

She looked at Moryong Dan-cheon and continued.

“Also, whether there are any mentions that express hostility towards the Murim Alliance or imply the formation of a new force.”

“There were no such mentions.”

“That’s for us to judge.”

Moryong Dan-cheon’s brow furrowed at Tang Seol-yeon’s words.

“That means eventually…”

Moryong Dan-cheon was about to say that it meant they wanted to see the letter.

But Tang Seol-yeon’s words were not over yet.

“But if the Clan Lord assures us in the name of the clan that there was no such content, the Murim Alliance will believe your words.”

That was both a form of pressure and a deal.

“There wasn’t.”

Moryong Dan-cheon said without hesitation.

“I swear in the name of the clan and myself that there was never such a mention.”

A moment of silence flowed.

Tang Seol-yeon, who had been staring sharply at Moryong Dan-cheon, quietly rose from her seat.

Rustle.

Clan Lord Moryong Dan-cheon, as well as Plum Blossom Sword Young-ho-jun, wore puzzled expressions, but Tang Seol-yeon bowed politely.

“I understand.”

Her voice, like rolling jade beads, echoed clearly in the office.

“I will believe the Clan Lord’s words.”

Tang Seol-yeon’s attitude was polite.

But Moryong Dan-cheon and Plum Blossom Sword Young-ho-jun did not know that it was another form of pressure.

“Since you say so.”

Moryong Dan-cheon said in a heavy voice.

“I am very grateful.”

For a moment, Moryong Dan-cheon’s gaze turned behind Tang Seol-yeon, but it was only for a moment.

The two people’s battle of nerves was fierce without anyone backing down.

And at that time, Yun-hyun, who was sitting in the back as a scribe, could not hide his embarrassed expression.

At first glance, it seemed like he was surprised by the tense battle of nerves between the Murim masters, but his inner thoughts were very different.

‘What did I write?’

Yun-hyun tried hard to remember.

He remembers everything about the sword.

He clearly knows what he wrote and what kind of proposal he made.

But he does not completely remember all the contents of the letter.

‘Maybe.’

Of course, he had no intention of doing so.

However, Yun-hyun himself cannot be sure whether he wrote sentences that were misunderstood as dissatisfaction with the Murim Alliance or an attempt to form a new force.

Yun-hyun groped through his memories with anxiety.

In front of such Yun-hyun, Moryong Dan-cheon, the Clan Lord of the Moryong Clan, and Tang Seol-yeon, the Snow Flower of the Tang Clan, were still facing each other with sharp eyes.

***

Moryong Dan-cheon, the Clan Lord of the Moryong Clan and known as Gwanilgeom [Piercing Sun Sword], was spending a sleepless night.

The reason was the Murim Alliance’s investigation team that had come to the clan.

‘I can’t just be happy about this…’

There is no reason to be happy that the investigation team from the Murim Alliance is coming.

They say they are asking for cooperation, but the fact that they are trying to look inside the clan by borrowing the power of the Murim Alliance remains unchanged.

However, if the ‘disciple of the Azure Dragon Sword Master’ is accompanying them, the situation is different.

‘I sent people to the Southern Sea Sword Sect, but there were no results.’

He sent people to the distant Southern Sea Sword Sect to find Yun-hyun, the disciple of the Azure Dragon Sword Master, or rather, the person presumed to be the disciple.

Fortunately, Pa-jin-han was very friendly to the Moryong Clan.

Perhaps that was because of the sense of kinship he felt from being helped by Yun-hyun.

However, what Pa-jin-han knew was not much different from what the Moryong Clan knew.

Moryong-mi already knew about the Yongbong Contest [Dragon and Phoenix Tournament], and Pa-jin-han also did not know Yun-hyun’s identity.

He also did not know about Yun-hyun’s whereabouts after that.

But that Yun-hyun appeared with the Murim Alliance investigation team.

Even as a scribe.

‘But he didn’t seem like a mere scribe…’

What embarrassed Moryong Dan-cheon a little while ago was not only because the Murim Alliance investigation team asked to see the letter.

Yun-hyun, who would know the letter better than anyone else, was sitting right behind them.

Moryong Dan-cheon could not help but be embarrassed.

For a moment, he even thought, ‘Is the disciple of the Azure Dragon Sword Master testing our faith?’

‘His disciple and the Murim Alliance…’

A position like a scribe is not very important.

What is important is that Yun-hyun is with the Murim Alliance.

It was clear that Young-ho-jun, the representative of Hwasan, and Tang Seol-yeon, the representative of the Tang Clan, also knew that.

Moryong Dan-cheon clearly saw them paying attention to Yun-hyun even while they were having a sharp battle of nerves with Moryong Dan-cheon.

Suddenly, Moryong Dan-cheon thought of Young-ho-jun and Tang Seol-yeon.

‘Plum Blossom Sword Young-ho-jun, and Tangmun Seolhwa Tang Seol-yeon.’

They were by no means easy opponents.

Even though they were still young, their momentum and skill were such that even Moryong Dan-cheon could not easily let his guard down.

‘Indeed, it is the Murim Alliance.’

If those outstanding young people are the representatives, what would the elders and clan leaders be like?

Moryong Dan-cheon once again realized the power of the Murim Alliance and the eighteen great clans of the Murim Alliance.