Chapter 99: Unexpected Interest
“Which one of you is Kunlun's Young Hero?”
The old Taoist raised his voice again.
What the hell? Why is this old man suddenly looking for me?
Just as confusion crossed my mind...
“Elder Hyeoneom. Please wait a moment.”
Taoist Wonho hurriedly stepped forward.
“These are guests who have just arrived at Mount Hua after traveling a long distance.”
The old man called Hyeoneom snorted.
“So what?”
He looked annoyed.
“Is it a crime to ask because I'm curious?”
“Th-That's not what I meant....”
Wonho looked troubled.
Watching him, I couldn't help tilting my head.
Wonho was known as the First Sword of Mount Hua and held the rank of an elder within the sect.
Yet even someone of his position was acting this cautious around the old man.
Just who the hell is Elder Hyeoneom?
While I was thinking...
Hyeoneom's gaze began moving across our group.
The first person he looked at was Jin Gwangung.
“Hmm. That one's clearly too old to be Kunlun's Young Hero.”
Jin Gwangung's face instantly flushed red.
If this were any other situation...
he would've probably thrown a punch already.
But since he had come here as a representative guest of Kunlun...
I could see him desperately suppressing his temper.
Hyeoneom's gaze moved sideways.
“And that spear-wielding brat...”
He clicked his tongue.
“He looks like the type who's more concerned with looking impressive than anything else.”
"..."
Hyeongwon clenched his fist.
His face remained expressionless...
but the veins rising across the back of his hand showed how furious he was.
Then Hyeoneom looked toward Myeongjeon.
“That narrow-eyed one...”
He frowned.
“He looks too sly for martial arts. He'd be better suited to counting money.”
Myeongjeon's eyebrows twitched.
He looked slightly startled.
Honestly...
so was I.
What the hell?
This old man is absurdly good at reading people.
Did Mount Hua have some sort of physiognomy specialist position?
How could he tell so much at a glance?
Finally...
Hyeoneom's gaze landed on me.
He looked me up and down.
Then grinned.
“So you're the brat they call Kunlun's Young Hero.”
His gaze settled on the sword at my waist.
“The way you wear that sword...”
“not bad.”
Then, without warning...
the old man strode right up to me and grabbed my wrist.
I instinctively tried to pull away.
What the hell is with this old man? His strength...!?
His grip was absurdly powerful.
I put strength into my arm...
but couldn't move it at all.
“Come on, Young Hero.”
Before I knew it...
he started dragging me away.
I nearly ended up following him without thinking.
Then Taoist Wonho stepped in front of us.
“Elder Hyeoneom.”
His voice was firm.
“You cannot do this.”
Hyeoneom slammed his staff against the ground.
Tap!
“What do you mean I can't?”
He glared at Wonho.
“I'll do what I want.”
Hyeoneom tried to drag me away again.
But Wonho spoke firmly.
“The Sect Leader is waiting for our guests.”
Hyeoneom immediately stopped.
Wonho continued.
“Even you, Elder Hyeoneom, should observe proper courtesy toward the Sect Leader.”
He lowered his head slightly.
“Please.”
"..."
Still gripping my wrist...
Hyeoneom glared at Wonho for a long while.
Then finally spoke with obvious reluctance.
“Tch. Always going on about rules and courtesy.”
At last...
he released me.
“Fine, fine.”
He clicked his tongue.
“I don't feel like listening to the Sect Leader nag me either, so I'll let it go this time.”
Then he jerked his chin toward me.
“Young Hero.”
His eyes gleamed strangely.
“We'll talk later.”
Leaving me with a look that seemed oddly disappointed...
Elder Hyeoneom turned around.
Once he disappeared into the distance...
the Mount Hua Taoists nearby visibly relaxed.
“Phew... he's gone.”
“I nearly had a heart attack when he suddenly said he was coming along.”
That old man, Elder Hyeoneom...
clearly wasn't an easy person to deal with even within Mount Hua.
Come to think of it...
the Mount Hua disciples' attitude toward him was strangely similar to how Kunlun disciples treated Jin Gwangung.
I rubbed my wrist and asked Wonho,
“Who exactly is that eccentric... I mean, that elder?”
Wonho scratched the side of his head and gave an awkward smile.
“Elder Hyeoneom.”
Then he sighed.
“He's the oldest senior in our sect.”
I blinked.
“The oldest?”
“Yes.”
Wonho looked away slightly.
“You'll probably hear the details from the Sect Leader later.”
He quickly cut the conversation short.
That only made it feel more suspicious.
Trying to change the mood...
Wonho lightly clapped his hands.
“All right, enough standing around.”
“Let's head inside.”
He gestured forward.
“You should drop off your luggage first.”
We followed the Mount Hua group deeper into the sect.
On the way...
we passed a training ground.
More than a hundred disciples stood in neat rows, swinging their swords.
A middle-aged Taoist stood in front of them, calling out.
“One!”
“Two!”
“Three!”
With every command...
the disciples moved their swords in unison.
Their sweat-soaked robes rippled like waves.
Myeongjeon let out a small sound of admiration.
“Amazing.”
Wonho puffed out his chest slightly.
“The Plum Blossom Sword Art is a martial art containing Mount Hua's pride.”
He smiled.
“Naturally, it demands constant training.”
I watched the disciples and thought,
There really are a lot of them.
And it wasn't only the number of disciples.
Even the training ground itself was at least twice the size of Kunlun's.
And surely...
this couldn't be the only training ground in Mount Hua.
Even though both sects belonged to the Nine Great Sects...
the difference in scale was obvious.
It was a moment that made me realize just how large the gap in influence between Mount Hua and Kunlun truly was.
A short while later...
we arrived at our lodging.
It was a detached residence large enough for the four of us.
The moment we finished putting down our luggage...
Wonho said,
“The Sect Leader is waiting.”
“We should go to the Sect Leader's Pavilion immediately.”
Jin Gwangung grumbled.
“Why is everyone in Mount Hua so desperate to see us?”
Then he waved a hand.
“Fine. Let's go.”
We moved immediately.
The Sect Leader's Pavilion wasn't far from the guest residence.
The moment we arrived...
Myeongjeon's jaw dropped.
“Whoa...”
The pavilion was two or three times larger than Kunlun's Sect Leader's Palace.
The ends of its roof curved sharply toward the sky.
Intricate plum blossom designs had been carved into every pillar.
Even the Sect Leader's residence alone clearly displayed the difference in wealth between the two sects.
We followed Wonho through the main entrance.
After crossing the courtyard...
we stepped inside.
The rich scent of tea reached us first.
A long table stood in the center.
Seats had been arranged neatly on both sides.
Someone sat at the head.
Wonho stepped forward and gave a martial salute.
“The guests have arrived.”
The person seated at the head set down his teacup and rose.
“You've traveled a long way.”
The leader of the Mount Hua Sect.
Sect Leader Wonmyeong.
Strangely...
his appearance reminded me of Sect Leader Cheon Gwangcheon.
Gentle eyes.
A pleasant expression.
Do all Sect Leaders of Taoist sects give off this same kind of atmosphere?
Wonmyeong first greeted Jin Gwangung.
“I am Wonmyeong, Sect Leader of Mount Hua.”
Jin Gwangung returned the greeting.
“Jin Gwangung.”
“I serve as a First Elder of Kunlun.”
Even with his reckless personality...
he at least knew how to behave in front of another sect's leader.
Wonmyeong's smile deepened slightly.
“I'm truly pleased that Elder Jin personally made the journey here.”
His courtesy felt genuine.
There was no arrogance or false politeness in his tone.
Once the brief greeting ended...
Jin Gwangung looked back at us.
“What are you doing?”
“Come greet the Sect Leader.”
Hyeongwon stepped forward first.
“I am Hyeongwon, Vice Hall Master of Kunlun's Martial Discipline Office.”
Wonmyeong nodded.
“Ah, so you are Taoist Hyeongwon.”
“I heard you displayed impressive martial prowess at the Dragon-Phoenix Awakening Tournament.”
Myeongjeon followed with a martial salute.
“I am Myeongjeon.”
“It is an honor to meet you, Sect Leader.”
Wonmyeong smiled.
“Haha. A pleasure, Taoist Myeongjeon.”
Then it was my turn.
I gave a martial salute.
“Han Mujin, disciple of First Elder Jin Gwangung.”
For the briefest instant...
Wonmyeong's eyes trembled.
It was such a tiny change that no one else seemed to notice.
Why did he look at me like that?
But Wonmyeong immediately hid the reaction and turned toward Jin Gwangung.
“Even at a glance, they're remarkable talents.”
He spoke calmly.
“With young people like these...”
“Kunlun's future must be very bright.”
Jin Gwangung gave a short laugh.
“Haha. Thank you.”
Then his smile faded.
He looked directly at Wonmyeong.
“That aside...”
His voice became blunt.
“Why exactly did you invite us to Mount Hua?”
"..."
Wonmyeong looked briefly surprised by the direct question.
But only for a moment.
He soon smiled gently again.
“I heard Kunlun holds something called the Elders' Lecture Gathering.”
Jin Gwangung's eyes narrowed slightly.
Wonmyeong continued.
“A gathering where elders discuss martial arts...”
“and exchange teachings with one another.”
His gaze briefly swept across us.
“I also heard that all four Kunlun participants in this year's Dragon-Phoenix Awakening Tournament had gone through the Elders' Lecture Gathering.”
“Is that correct?”
Jin Gwangung didn't answer immediately.
“You even know about the Elders' Lecture Gathering.”
His tone sharpened.
“I didn't realize the Sect Leader of Mount Hua was so interested in Kunlun's internal affairs.”
Reading the suddenly cold atmosphere...
Wonmyeong shook his head.
“Please don't misunderstand.”
“I'm not implying that Mount Hua has spies inside Kunlun.”
He smiled.
“I'm merely repeating rumors circulating throughout the martial world.”
I nodded inwardly.
The last Elders' Lecture Gathering hadn't been attended only by Kunlun members.
People from the Righteous Alliance had observed it too.
So it wasn't strange for information about the gathering to spread outside the sect.
Wonmyeong continued.
“This time...”
“all four Kunlun participants reached the final eight of the Dragon-Phoenix Awakening Tournament.”
His gaze moved toward us.
“That is an extraordinary result.”
“Even among the Nine Great Sects, it would be difficult to achieve.”
Then he connected that success directly to the Elders' Lecture Gathering.
“I believe Kunlun's results came from the exchange of teachings within your sect.”
He paused.
Then gave his conclusion.
“That's why Mount Hua wishes to create a similar opportunity for exchange.”
“Not within a single sect...”
His voice gained strength.
“but between sects.”
He looked directly at Jin Gwangung.
“Mount Hua and Kunlun.”
“As fellow Taoist sects, I would like us to establish regular exchanges between our people.”
“This invitation is intended to be the beginning.”
Jin Gwangung slowly nodded.
“Hmm... I see....”
But suspicion still remained in his eyes.
Then...
Wonmyeong suddenly said something unexpected.
“And...”
“I heard there is a very special place within Kunlun.”
Jin Gwangung raised an eyebrow.
“A special place?”
Wonmyeong didn't answer immediately.
Still smiling...
he looked at me.
Then turned his gaze back toward Jin Gwangung.
“The place where both First Elder Jin Gwangung...”
“and Taoist Han Mujin reside.”
Both me and Jin Gwangung?
...Don't tell me.
Wonmyeong's lips curved slightly.
“I'm referring...”
“to the Abandoned Martial Hall.”
