Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 45

045. The Visit of a Scholar

Turbuk, turbuk.

“Hoo.”

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Unhyun looked up towards the road ahead.

But the Murong Clan, which he expected to see soon, was still nowhere in sight.

“Being a prestigious clan, the road here is quite long.”

His attire was already far from clean, covered in dust kicked up from his feet and sweat.

The journey wasn’t difficult, but Unhyun was bothered by his soiled clothes.

‘Maybe I should have hitched a ride in a carriage.’

The thought briefly crossed his mind. But Unhyun quickly shook his head.

‘Well, it’s not too hard anyway.’

Whether it was the result of his training or just his imagination, he wasn’t particularly tired despite walking a considerable distance.

Unhyun started walking again. But he soon stopped.

“Huh?”

He heard a sound coming from down the road.

‘What is it?’

It wasn’t just a sound.

He could see dust rising in the distance.

Unhyun quickly recognized what it was. It was a carriage.

“Could it be a carriage coming from the Murong Clan?”

Unhyun looked ahead with anticipation.

Takkadak, takkadak.

A carriage pulled by two horses was speeding towards him.

It was a grand and ornate carriage, seemingly antique, large enough to carry about six people.

Unhyun watched the carriage approach, his eyes sparkling.

But soon, his expression began to turn to dismay.

“Oh, oh.”

The carriage, rushing relentlessly, did not slow down as it approached Unhyun.

It looked like it would run him over, so Unhyun quickly stepped off the road.

“Whoops.”

The suddenness of it made it hard to find solid footing.

Still, Unhyun quickly twisted his body to avoid falling.

The carriage rushed past right next to him with a loud roar.

Kururung, kururung.

The sound of the carriage wheels echoed loudly in Unhyun’s ears.

What followed was a massive cloud of dust.

He tried to cover his mouth, but it was no use; Unhyun was completely covered in dust.

Poohawk.

“Uheok. Cough, cough.”

Perhaps because it had been dry for a while, the dust kicked up by the carriage obscured his vision.

Unhyun’s attire instantly lost its color.

Waving his hands did nothing to help.

“Cough.”

By the time the dust settled and Unhyun stepped back onto the road, the carriage was already far away.

“Hmph, those people are in quite a hurry.”

In hindsight, it was partly his fault for not stepping aside sooner.

But it wasn’t right to drive so recklessly when there was someone on the road.

But what was the point of arguing with a carriage that was already far away?

Unhyun brushed off his clothes, wondering if this was the Murong Clan’s way in Henan.

“Hoo, is it still far?”

Though the dust had settled, he still couldn’t see anything down the road.

Unhyun looked at the receding carriage and then started walking again.

In the quiet, empty road, the sound of his footsteps echoed once more.

Takkadak, takkadak.

“Who was that person we just passed?”

Murong Mi asked from inside the swaying carriage.

Besides her, there were three other disciples from the outer sect in the carriage.

They were there to accompany her, but being chosen to accompany her to such a major event as the Dragon-Phoenix Meet also meant they were talented individuals who would become key figures in the clan.

One of the outer sect disciples said,

“It was someone I’ve never seen before. He looked like a scholar at first glance…”

Murong Mi had also seen that he was dressed as a scholar.

Judging by the direction he was heading, he was clearly going to the Murong Clan, but since she didn’t see his face, there was no way to know who he was.

“He’s probably visiting the clan.”

The problem was the purpose of his visit.

As the head of the outer sect, it was her duty and responsibility to identify outsiders visiting the clan.

However, seeing that the scholar was walking alone, it probably wasn’t a significant visit.

After thinking for a moment, Murong Mi concluded with a brief command.

“Tell them to be more careful when driving the carriage from now on.”

“Yes, I understand, Head.”

Since it was a quiet road, it was natural for the carriage to pick up speed.

Besides, why would the Murong Clan’s carriage stop for a scholar walking on the road?

According to the common sense of the Jianghu [martial arts world], it was the scholar’s fault for not avoiding it in advance.

However, the coachman nodded to acknowledge the order, as he could not neglect the command of the outer sect head.

The carriage continued on its way as if nothing had happened.

***

“Oho.”

Unhyun stopped and looked at the Murong Clan with interest.

As befitting the overlords of Henan and a clan with a long history, the Murong Clan’s buildings were quite large and ancient.

However, having lived in the Forbidden City for over a decade, Unhyun’s first impression was that it looked rather small.

No clan or sect could compare to the Forbidden City, but having seen it, he couldn’t help but make comparisons.

“Still, it’s quite elegant and classic.”

Unhyun liked his first impression of the Murong Clan.

He preferred these elegant and dignified buildings to the imposing and oppressive halls of the Forbidden City.

In some ways, it felt similar to the Munyeon Hall [royal library and study hall].

Jeobuk.

After looking at the Murong Clan for a while, Unhyun started walking towards the main gate.

The journey wasn’t easy, but it was worth it because he liked the place.

Even the incident of being covered in dust was already starting to fade into the back of his mind.

“Stop for a moment.”

However, gaining entry to the Murong Clan was not as easy as Unhyun thought.

Unhyun’s steps had to stop at the sudden, rough voice.

“What brings you here?”

A warrior with wide eyes blocked Unhyun’s path.

They were the warriors guarding the left and right sides of the Murong Clan’s main gate.

He had definitely seen them earlier.

However, Unhyun never imagined that they would block his path.

Just like how no Golden Uniform Guard had ever blocked his path in the Forbidden City.

Unhyun opened his mouth with a momentarily flustered expression.

“Ah, I, I…”

“This is not a place for just anyone to enter.”

The burly warrior, as if making a threat, placed one hand on his hip and spoke menacingly.

In fact, the warriors had already assessed the situation.

There was no reason for them to treat Unhyun, who was a shabby scholar covered in dust, with respect.

The fact that they didn’t speak in a rude manner was the best they could do in terms of courtesy.

However, the words ‘just anyone’ touched a nerve with Unhyun.

“I am here to see the Clan Head…nim [honorific suffix].”

He had freely called him Murong Dancheon or Gwan Ilgeom when he was alone, but this was none other than the Murong Clan.

Unhyun barely managed to add the honorific suffix.

It was also the result of the intimidating warrior in front of him and the imposing main gate.

“Do you have an invitation or a letter of introduction?”

Even though he said he came to see the Clan Head, the warriors’ attitude did not soften at all.

Instead, they mixed in a slightly casual tone and asked Unhyun.

These warriors had experienced this kind of thing more than once or twice.

The question was just for confirmation; in their eyes, Unhyun was nothing more or less than ‘a writer trying to freeload somehow.’

“I, I don’t have anything like that…”

Of course, he wouldn’t have one.

How could he have an invitation or a letter of introduction when the Murong Clan’s Clan Head didn’t even know him?

“Hmph, really. This fellow…”

The warrior clicked his tongue as if he was pathetic.

Before he knew it, Unhyun had been demoted to ‘this fellow.’

“No, how can someone who came to see the Clan Head not have an invitation or a letter of introduction?”

“The Clan Head is busy. He is not someone a scholar like you can meet so easily.”

Now, even the warrior standing next to him joined in. He spoke in a completely rude manner from the start.

Naturally, Unhyun’s words couldn’t be polite either.

“No, look here. Isn’t it customary to announce a guest’s arrival to the host first? But you’re just…”

“Ahem!”

However, Unhyun’s protest was cut off by the warrior’s loud voice.

“Do you know where you are to be raising your voice like that! Anyway, you cannot meet the Clan Head without a letter of introduction or an invitation, so know that and go back!”

The warrior glared and threatened him.

He placed one hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist as if to intimidate him.

“Hmph…”

It was Unhyun who was dumbfounded.

He had already expected that he would not be welcomed.

However, he never imagined that he would be treated like this by the gatekeeper warriors.

“Excuse me, it seems like there’s some misunderstanding, but I am definitely not a suspicious person.”

Getting agitated wouldn’t solve anything.

Unhyun calmed himself down and began to explain slowly.

“I used to…”

Unhyun swallowed the word ‘letter’ that he was about to say.

When he thought about it, he didn’t really have anything to explain.

If the person in front of him was Murong Dancheon himself, he would try to test the waters by subtly mentioning Un, but there was no way that these subordinates would know every little detail about what letters the Clan Head had received.

Besides, it wasn’t like they had ‘exchanged’ letters; it was just a one-sided letter that he had sent using a pseudonym, so he couldn’t openly talk about it.

“To the Clan Head, what? Continue. Did you eat and drink with him, or what?”

The other warrior standing next to him threw out words in a sarcastic tone.

But Unhyun had nothing to say.

The warrior who had stopped Unhyun at first clicked his tongue.

“It’s annoying to say many words, so just go back when we’re saying it nicely. Got it?”

The warrior waved his hand at Unhyun.

He had already turned his gaze away as if the matter was over.

The other warrior also turned his gaze away and added another word as if talking to himself.

“These scholar wannabes think that reading a few books is some kind of noble title? They have nothing…”

However, the warrior’s words could not continue.

A heavy voice was heard from inside the clan.

“What’s going on?”

“Eek!”

As soon as they heard the voice, the warriors straightened their posture.

A middle-aged man with a sharp impression and a slightly lean build appeared from the inside.

He looked at the warriors and Unhyun, frowned slightly, and said.

“Didn’t I ask what’s going on?”

“Yes, Vice Chief. This person wants to see the Clan Head.”

The person called Vice Chief by the warriors turned his head and looked at Unhyun.

The Vice Chief’s gaze was quite sharp.

It was a gaze that would make anyone feel intimidated, but Unhyun even felt a familiar feeling.

His actions and gaze were like seeing Sa Ilcheon, the manager of the Changryong Hall from the past.

“You said you want to see the Clan Head?”

“Ah, that’s right…”

“Do you have a letter of introduction?”

The question from the person called Vice Chief was the same as the warrior’s earlier.

Unhyun shook his head.

“Then you’ll have to wait.”

The Vice Chief said.

“Follow me for now.”

Without waiting for Unhyun’s answer, the Vice Chief turned around and started walking.

As Unhyun hesitated at the sudden development, the warrior standing next to him gestured and urged Unhyun.

It meant to follow quickly.

Unhyun quickly moved his feet and entered the Murong Clan.

The Vice Chief was already quite far ahead.

‘As soon as I arrive, I have to start by following someone else again.’

Muttering inwardly, Unhyun hurried his steps to chase after the Vice Chief.

The soft, slanting sunlight was falling over the roof of the Murong Clan.