Chapter 7: The Elders' Lecture Gathering
I was flying through the air while hanging over Jin Gwangung's shoulder.
When I looked down...
the people at the Martial Training Hall were staring up at us with blank expressions.
I stared back at their increasingly distant faces.
Damn it.
Kidnapped again.
My kidnapping in my previous life had been carried out by the Righteous Alliance's underground organization.
Afterward, I spent decades as a living experiment before dying miserably.
Of course, this situation was different.
Strictly speaking, it couldn't really be called kidnapping.
A First Elder of Kunlun had simply appeared without warning and carried me away.
The real problem was...
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
"What wonderful wind!"
"Perfect weather for cutting someone's head off!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
...the First Elder in question was the kind of lunatic who casually shouted things like that.
Why exactly was he kidnapping me...
No.
Why was he taking me away?
"Listen to that wind!"
"Sounds just like the final breath of a dying man!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
Jin Gwangung continued cutting through the sky while shouting insane nonsense.
The fierce wind slapped against my face.
The scenery around us gradually became unfamiliar.
The Kunlun Sect buildings had disappeared from sight long ago.
Instead...
rugged valleys, rocky cliffs, and thick forests spread beneath us.
How far is this crazy old monster taking me?
Without knowing our destination, I remained hanging over Jin Gwangung's shoulder for quite some time.
Maybe about two gak passed.
His speed gradually slowed.
Eventually...
he landed on a mountain ridge.
"Here we are!"
"From now on, this is where you'll be rolling around and living with me."
Then he threw me to the ground like a sack of grain.
"Urgh!"
I rolled across the dirt several times.
Barely resisting the urge to vomit, I pushed myself upright.
My entire body, including my face, was covered in dust.
"Ptoo! Ptoo!"
I spat out the dirt that had entered my mouth and checked my body.
Fortunately, nothing seemed injured.
Damn old man.
You're like some stupid bear with nothing but ridiculous strength.
I cursed Jin Gwangung with every insult I could think of.
Only in my head, of course.
If I say something weird out loud, he might actually tear my head off.
Once I calmed down, I started looking around.
The first thing that caught my attention was a shabby pavilion.
It looked as though it hadn't been maintained for decades.
Half the roof tiles had collapsed.
Moss covered the old surrounding wall.
Beside the pavilion stood another building that looked like a warehouse.
Strangely...
the warehouse was two or three times larger than the pavilion itself.
Its entrance was locked with a massive steel padlock.
What kind of important thing is hidden inside for them to use a lock that large?
Who would even come all the way into these mountains to steal something?
While I stared at the suspicious warehouse...
Jin Gwangung laughed.
"Hehehe."
"What's so interesting that your eyes look ready to fall out?"
"What? Think there's a mountain of gold inside?"
Only then did reality sink in again.
Right.
I had been kidnapped.
By a crazy old man who could probably casually tear off my head if he wanted.
First, I needed to understand the situation.
And the only person who could explain it...
stood right in front of me.
I spoke carefully.
"Elder Jin Gwangung. I apologize, but may I ask you a few questions?"
"Hehehe. Ask whatever you like."
"You're going to spend your entire life serving me as my attendant anyway."
"Surely I can answer a few questions."
You crazy old monster.
Attendant? Who decided that?!
His nonsense was unbelievable.
But I hid my expression and continued.
"Elder, where exactly are we?"
"What a pointless question."
Jin Gwangung clicked his tongue.
"Are your eyes only decorations?"
"It's written right there."
He pointed toward the warehouse with his chin.
I turned and looked again.
At first, I saw nothing unusual.
But when I followed his indication and raised my gaze...
I finally noticed it.
An old signboard hung crookedly above the warehouse entrance.
The wooden plaque was cracked by years of wind and rain.
Faded characters were carved into it.
[Abandoned Martial Hall]
Abandoned Martial Hall?
A place where martial arts are discarded?
I had never heard that name once during all my years in Kunlun.
I unconsciously muttered it aloud.
"Abandoned Martial Hall...."
"Oh?"
Jin Gwangung grinned.
"At least you're not completely illiterate."
"That's right. The Abandoned Martial Hall."
"A very important place personally managed by this old man."
I tilted my head.
If Jin Gwangung manages it, then it can't be completely meaningless.
In Kunlun, the title of First Elder wasn't some honorary position given to elderly masters.
Each First Elder independently managed one of the sect's important organizations.
They were the true leaders of those groups.
There was the Geoncheon Guard, responsible for defending against external threats.
Then there was the Martial Discipline Office, responsible for internal law and punishment.
Kunlun's core organizations were all led by First Elders and operated independently depending on each Elder's character.
The Abandoned Martial Hall should have been the same.
If a First Elder was its leader...
it had to serve some purpose.
But why is it in such a remote place?
Organizations led by First Elders were usually inside the sect or somewhere nearby.
Yet the Abandoned Martial Hall stood deep in the mountains, far away from everything.
This feels suspicious.
My head filled with questions.
But Jin Gwangung didn't give me time to think.
"All right."
"That should have answered all your questions."
He suddenly tried ending the conversation.
I hurriedly raised my voice.
"O-One more!"
"Just one more question!"
