Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 80

080. Intrusion

Yun-hyeon was packing his belongings when he suddenly paused.

“Huh?”

Yun-hyeon turned his head towards the door, hearing a presence.

“Scholar Yun, are you inside?”

It was the voice of the Young Palace Lord.

When Yun-hyeon opened the door, the Young Palace Lord, Binghon, and the maid Bingsel were standing outside.

“Oh, what brings you here…”

Yun-hyeon asked with a puzzled expression.

As they were part of the same group, their accommodations were close. However, the Young Palace Lord had never visited before.

The Young Palace Lord looked at Yun-hyeon and smiled brightly.

“Scholar Yun.”

Yun-hyeon flinched for a moment.

Her radiant smile felt strangely unsettling.

Until now, the Young Palace Lord had smiled subtly, but he had never seen her smile so brightly.

Moreover, her smiling face was so attractive that it made him wary.

He almost stepped back without realizing it.

Of course, he didn’t actually step back.

“Are you about to leave?” the Young Palace Lord asked.

Yun-hyeon then realized that he hadn’t told her he was quitting yet.

“Ah, I apologize for not informing you in advance. The Dragon-Phoenix Meet is practically over, and it seems there’s nothing more I can do here…”

Yun-hyeon had done very little since coming here.

Of course, he had occasionally provided explanations to help, but he even wondered if he was really needed.

“Ah, I see,” the Young Palace Lord nodded with a disappointed expression.

“Could I ask for one more favor?”

Yun-hyeon looked at the Young Palace Lord with a puzzled expression.

“What is it?”

The Young Palace Lord smiled.

“Today, after the Dragon-Phoenix Meet ends, there will be a banquet for the participants. Of course, it’s not an official event.”

In other words, it was a get-together among the participants.

In the world of martial arts, connections and networks are as important as swords and martial arts, or perhaps even more so.

“I would like Scholar Yun to join us.”

“I see.”

Yun-hyeon smiled.

It seemed like she was asking because it was an unofficial event.

Besides, when he thought about it, such unofficial gatherings were where real connections and networks were formed, weren’t they?

“Alright. It’s not a difficult task, so I will do so.”

At those words, the Young Palace Lord smiled brightly.

Yun-hyeon flinched once more.

‘Ugh.’

The Young Palace Lord’s beauty and charm were formidable.

When she smiled, it was like looking at a blooming ice flower, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

It was too stimulating for Yun-hyeon, who was not used to women.

As a result, he didn’t realize that the Young Palace Lord had never attended even the official banquets of the Martial Alliance, and that she was treating Yun-hyeon with unusual politeness.

“Thank you. Then, I’ll see you later,” the Young Palace Lord slightly bowed to Yun-hyeon.

And just as she was about to step away, she said as if she had suddenly remembered something.

“Ah, if I’m late, I’ll probably be taking a walk around the south side of West Lake.”

“Ah, yes…”

Swoosh, swoosh.

With elegant and light steps, the Young Palace Lord walked away, and Binghon and Bingsel followed her.

Yun-hyeon stood there for a moment, then closed the door and muttered to himself.

“She’ll be on the south side of West Lake if she’s late?”

Shouldn’t she tell me to wait if she’s going to be late?

Why did she tell me she would be on the south side of West Lake?

“Does she want me to come find her?”

Yun-hyeon tilted his head.

Surely she doesn’t mean for me to escort her, but he couldn’t guess what her intention was.

“Well, whatever.”

Anyway, it will all be over after tonight. And then, his familiar daily life of preparing for the Martial Alliance scribe exam, just like in his student days, would continue.

“A Martial Alliance scribe…”

Yun-hyeon muttered, looking around again.

“I wonder if they’ll give me good vacation time?”

Ilchunghyeon’s brother’s belongings were with Yun-hyeon. There wasn’t much, but he still had to deliver them to his family himself.

Yun-hyeon unconsciously touched his chest.

The familiar sensation of the ring hanging inside his clothes was felt at his fingertips.

He might be a little late if he became a scribe, but he intended to take a vacation and go no matter what.

Clunk.

The door closed, and Yun-hyeon began packing again.

However, his touch was much more relaxed.

The Martial Alliance, preparing for the Dragon-Phoenix Meet public competition, was bustling from morning, but the area around Yun-hyeon and the North Sea Ice Palace’s lodgings was particularly quiet.

***

The splendid pavilion was full of merriment.

The sun had already set and darkness had fallen on West Lake, but the colorful lanterns hanging on the pavilion illuminated West Lake even more beautifully.

The younger generation of martial artists filling the pavilion were also smiling with light hearts.

“Hahaha. As expected, the qualities of someone who will become a great hero are extraordinary.”

“That’s what they call having a large vessel [generosity and potential].”

Splendidly dressed young ladies and handsome young masters showed off their youth to the fullest.

Laughter never ceased from here and there.

However, Yun-hyeon, who was standing at the entrance of the pavilion, frowned slightly.

He felt like he had experienced a similar situation before. He had seen such a sight when he first arrived in Hangzhou.

Even then, he had tried to understand, but now he just didn’t want to see it.

‘The Young Palace Lord is… not here. Hasn’t she arrived yet?’

Yun-hyeon was at the pavilion where the unofficial banquet for the Dragon-Phoenix Meet participants was being held.

The banquet had already begun, but neither the Young Palace Lord nor Binghon or Bingsel were to be seen.

‘She said she might be late…’

Yun-hyeon, who was looking around, suddenly spotted someone he knew.

‘Ah.’

It was M容容mi [likely a placeholder name, needs replacement].

Her elegant clothes exuded a brilliant beauty without being flashy.

It was an outfit that really suited M容容mi, who had an elegant and mature charm.

‘The Nangong family’s young lady is also there. And Pajinhan too.’

Yun-hyeon began to find familiar faces.

There was Pajinhan, as well as the young lady named Nangong Biyeon, whom he had fought on the first day.

And, fortunately, Pajinhan was not alone.

Several young men were talking with Pajinhan, and their expressions were quite bright.

‘As expected.’

Not everyone was as rude as Nangong Sanghyuk. And not all participants were entangled only in their own interests.

‘That’s good.’

Yun-hyeon smiled, seeing Pajinhan’s bright expression.

He felt proud, as if he had done well himself.

‘Now, all that’s left is for the North Sea group to come… Should I go find them after all?’

In the end, Yun-hyeon decided to ‘escort’ the Young Palace Lord and left the pavilion with his luggage and wooden sword.

Thud.

As he stepped out of the splendid pavilion, the night’s West Lake unfolded before Yun-hyeon’s eyes.

‘Ah.’

Yun-hyeon exclaimed without realizing it.

The two moons floating in the sky and West Lake, and the beautiful lights of Hangzhou, sparkled and shattered on the waves of West Lake.

‘…The scribe position at the Hangzhou Martial Alliance, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.’

The noise that had been bothering his ears had disappeared somewhere.

Taking leisurely steps, Yun-hyeon was completely immersed in the charm of West Lake.

‘Huh?’

However, Yun-hyeon’s enjoyment did not last long.

Yun-hyeon turned his head, sensing someone approaching.

“Ah, Binghon.”

The person who appeared was Binghon.

However, the person who should have been there next to him was not to be seen.

“The Young Palace Lord is…”

Thud.

Binghon, who had stopped walking, said,

“The Young Palace Lord wishes to see you.”

Yun-hyeon looked at Binghon with a puzzled expression at the sudden use of honorifics, but his expression remained unchanged.

“The Young Palace Lord is on the south side of West Lake.”

Thud.

Binghon turned around and walked past Yun-hyeon.

Yun-hyeon felt a sharp aura from him as he passed, but he assumed it was because Binghon was always tense.

Thud, thud.

Binghon was heading towards the banquet hall.

Yun-hyeon, who was watching his back, turned his head again.

And he discovered that quite a few other men were approaching.

‘Huh?’

“Hahaha.”

They were talking to each other as they walked towards Yun-hyeon.

Their clothes and impressions were like those of common martial artists, but judging from the aura they exuded, they seemed to have accumulated a considerable amount of training.

‘Their impressions are quite intense? Are they together?’

There were quite a few for a simple group.

At first glance, there seemed to be close to thirty of them.

But this was Hangzhou.

‘Well, even students from the academy come in groups, so there’s no reason why disciples from different sects can’t come together.’

Yun-hyeon lightly thought so.

The young men passed by Yun-hyeon without showing any interest.

But suddenly, Yun-hyeon felt that the atmosphere and aura they exuded felt somehow familiar.

‘Huh?’

However, he couldn’t examine them closely.

The young martial artists passed by Yun-hyeon and walked away.

Yun-hyeon watched them for a moment, then turned his body.

Finding the Young Palace Lord was more important now.

‘So, what the Young Palace Lord said this morning meant for me to come find her after all.’

Then why didn’t she just tell me to come instead of saying it that way?

Thinking so, Yun-hyeon hurried towards the Young Palace Lord, who was somewhere on the south side of West Lake.

The luggage on his back and the wooden sword in his hand dangled, but the night scenery of West Lake made Yun-hyeon’s steps quite light.

Because of that, Yun-hyeon did not realize that the young martial artists who had just passed by were heading towards the banquet hall.

***

“Hey, guest! Why are you doing this… Ouch!”

Thud.

What broke the atmosphere of the banquet, which was in full swing, was a loud noise and someone’s groan.

The Dragon-Phoenix Meet participants all looked towards the source of the sound.

The commotion was at the entrance of the banquet hall.

A fat middle-aged man managing the banquet hall was sprawled on the ground, and a dozen young men were standing there.

Tap, tap.

The young people working at the pavilion and half a dozen warriors immediately ran to the entrance.

A middle-aged warrior with a sword glared at the young men and said,

“You can’t do this.”

His words were polite, but his voice and attitude were quite threatening.

“Didn’t I tell you there were no seats? Guests should act like guests.”

The attitude of the warrior guarding the banquet hall was overbearing.

However, the young martial artists who had intruded did not care.

“No seats?”

The young martial artist chuckled and said,

“Isn’t that a seat?”

The hall was already wide. There were many empty seats in the place he pointed to.

The warrior frowned.

“You young masters don’t seem to understand. Do you know who is here?”

“Who cares?”

The warrior guarding the banquet hall was angry at the young man’s arrogant attitude.

“You guys are now… Cough.”

The warrior, who was about to scold them, collapsed to the side without even drawing his sword.

The young martial artist who had started the trouble suddenly struck his solar plexus.

Thud.

The fallen warrior had already lost consciousness.

“Eek!”

The servants quickly retreated, and the faces of the warriors guarding the banquet hall changed as they placed their hands on their swords.

However, they could not draw their swords.

Thud, thud.

The young martial artists who had intruded were not just a dozen.

Other young martial artists appeared from somewhere, and they quickly grew to over thirty.

If they drew their swords in this state, the banquet hall warriors would lose their lives in an instant.