Chapter 11: Uninvited Guests
Who is that? This isn't a place just anyone can come to.
The Abandoned Martial Hall was located deep inside a remote mountain valley, quite far from the main Kunlun Sect.
The terrain around it was so rough that it was almost impossible for an outsider to stumble upon the place by accident.
Which meant...
They know where the Abandoned Martial Hall is.
Maybe they were members of the sect who had come to see Jin Gwangung.
I carefully walked toward the entrance.
When I opened the door and stepped outside, I saw several people approaching from the distance.
Just as I thought.
There were four Taoists wearing Kunlun's dark gray robes.
One of them stood out immediately.
He was an elderly Taoist around Jin Gwangung's age, wearing a luxurious dark-blue outer robe over his gray uniform.
Every time he walked, the golden thread wrapped around the hilt of the sword at his waist gleamed in the light.
Kunlun was a sect rooted in Taoism.
Avoiding unnecessary luxury was part of its culture.
Very few people were allowed to openly wear such extravagant clothing.
I could roughly guess what kind of person he was.
He's definitely high-ranking.
At least an Elder.
The other three were relatively younger.
Their ages seemed to range from their twenties to around forty.
They also carried swords at their waists and followed behind the old Taoist with extremely cautious attitudes.
It was obvious that he was their leader.
The four were so focused on talking among themselves that they still hadn't noticed me.
Maybe it was because I had learned the Kunlun Azure Soul Scripture.
Even from this distance, their conversation reached my ears clearly.
"The Abandoned Martial Hall feels just as unpleasant as it did five years ago."
The old Taoist spoke mockingly.
"Well, considering the person who lives inside, I suppose that's only natural."
The middle-aged Taoist walking behind him bent slightly at the waist and agreed.
"Exactly as you say, Elder. This place is far too gloomy for someone as noble and pure as you."
"You could have simply left delivery of the Elders' Lecture Gathering letter to us."
"No."
The old Taoist shook his head.
"If only you had come, who knows what kind of madness Jin Gwangung would have caused."
"Even so, there was no need for First Elder Na Gwangdo to personally come all the way here...."
"It's fine."
Na Gwangdo narrowed his eyes.
"Since Jin Gwangung is apparently participating in this Elders' Lecture Gathering, I wanted to see with my own eyes who he chose as his representative."
Na Gwangdo?
Could that be...
Golden Hand Na Gwangdo?
The identity of the group immediately came to mind.
They're from the Finance Hall.
The Finance Hall was one of Kunlun's core organizations and managed the sect's finances.
Na Gwangdo, known as the Golden Hand, had controlled the enormous Finance Hall from behind the scenes for decades.
And he was also one of Kunlun's four First Elders.
In other words...
he was one of the important figures participating in the upcoming Elders' Lecture Gathering.
It seemed they had come to meet Jin Gwangung regarding the gathering.
I was wondering whether I should approach them first when...
"Elder, look over there. Someone is here."
One of Na Gwangdo's followers finally noticed me.
All four of them turned toward me.
Then, almost simultaneously, they kicked off the ground and flew forward.
In an instant, they crossed the distance and landed directly in front of me.
"Who are you?"
Na Gwangdo narrowed his eyes.
"Why are you here?"
There was arrogance in his gaze, as if he naturally looked down on everyone around him.
For now, I lowered my head and answered politely.
"My name is Han Mujin. By Elder Gwangung's order, I have been managing the Abandoned Martial Hall for the past few days."
"Managing the Abandoned Martial Hall?"
Na Gwangdo raised one eyebrow.
"Under Elder Gwangung's orders?"
He thought for a moment.
Then a mocking expression appeared on his face.
"I suppose that makes sense."
"The Abandoned Martial Hall may be completely useless, but it is still a place containing part of the sect's history."
"Even Elder Gwangung would need at least one person to handle cleaning and other chores."
His tone openly looked down on both the Abandoned Martial Hall and me.
Na Gwangdo kept his eyes lowered as he continued.
"Anyway, you must also be a disciple of the sect."
"Hmm..."
"But I don't recognize your face at all. Under whom are you studying?"
"I can't imagine many people willingly sending their disciples to Elder Gwangung."
"I've lived under Kunlun's roof, but I wasn't someone with the status to receive proper instruction."
"What?"
Na Gwangdo tilted his head.
"What do you mean you didn't have the status to receive instruction?"
I smiled lightly.
"Before meeting Elder Gwangung, I lived in the Event Hall."
"The Event Hall?"
His eyes widened slightly.
"You mean where the servants live?"
"Yes."
"..."
He clearly hadn't expected me to come from the Event Hall.
After a short silence, Na Gwangdo sighed and shook his head.
"Haa..."
"I truly have no idea what Elder Gwangung is thinking."
"The Abandoned Martial Hall may be a forgotten place, but it still contains secret parts of Kunlun's history."
"And he brought in an Event Hall servant?"
He looked down at me again.
"I suppose he had no choice."
"Nobody in the sect would willingly volunteer, so an Event Hall servant must have been the best he could find."
What the hell is this old bastard saying?
He's insulting me right to my face.
I wanted to curse him out.
But considering who he was, I suppressed my anger and continued listening.
"Fine."
Na Gwangdo looked around.
"Where is the master you serve?"
Apparently he thought I was basically Jin Gwangung's servant.
"If you mean Elder Gwangung, he left early this morning."
"He probably won't return until late tonight."
"Late tonight..."
Na Gwangdo frowned and glanced toward the middle-aged Taoist standing to his left.
The man was holding a letter.
"Hmm. I arrived too early."
"Waiting until night merely to deliver that one letter would be troublesome."
I looked toward the middle-aged Taoist.
"If the letter is for Elder Gwangung, you may leave it with me."
The instant I finished speaking, the middle-aged Taoist exploded.
"You insolent bastard!"
"How dare an Event Hall servant interfere!"
"Do you have any idea how important this letter is?!"
I casually replied.
"Isn't it related to the Elders' Lecture Gathering?"
The man's eyes shook slightly.
He clearly hadn't expected those words from me.
But he quickly raised his voice again.
"So you've heard something somewhere."
"If you understand what this letter concerns, then all the more reason you should watch your words."
"How dare you..."
"All right, enough."
I cut him off.
"If it's an Elders' Lecture Gathering letter, you can just give it to me."
The younger Taoists beside him shouted at the same time.
"Insolent bastard! How dare an Event Hall servant speak like that!"
"Do you even know who stands before you?!"
"This is First Elder Na Gwangdo, and beside him is his direct disciple, Finance Hall Master Hyeoneun!"
Their hands moved toward their sword hilts.
They looked ready to draw at any moment.
If Na Gwangdo hadn't been standing beside them, they probably would have attacked already.
Are all Finance Hall bastards this rude?
Young or old, none of them have any manners.
