Having completed his meditation, Bu Eunseol gazed out the window with a surprised expression.
‘Has so much time passed already?’ In the distant sky, a bright moon was now dispelling the darkness. ‘This is the first time I’ve fallen into a trance during meditation.’ Bu Eunseol could meditate in any posture and remain aware of external stimuli even during the process.
Yet, by focusing his mind against the external noise, he had, for the first time, entered a state of no-self and meditated.
‘It’s dangerous… but it certainly has its advantages.’ Meditating in a trance had shortened the time needed to circulate his qi, and his inner power felt noticeably deeper.
Feeling hungry, he rose and stepped outside. He could have ordered food at the annex, but to soothe the lingering dissatisfaction from earlier, he decided to head to the inn once more.
"Welcome, Young Master!" As he entered the inn, a young waiter spotted Bu Eunseol and hurriedly ran over.
"Is there a seat available?"
"Of course! Follow me, please." The waiter led him to a window seat on the third floor with the best view.
The inn was still crowded, but not as packed as before. After ordering some side dishes and wine, Bu Eunseol gazed out the window, lost in thought.
‘It’s already been two months since I arrived here.’ To prepare for the impending battles with the Great Righteous Masters, he hadn’t wasted a single day.
Now, only about two months remained. To obey the solemn command of the Heavenly Demon Emperor, he would have to face the Great Righteous Masters again within that time.
Buzz, buzz.
At that moment, a lively commotion accompanied the arrival of six men entering the inn.
"This Unrae Inn is famous for its view. Hey! Get us a window seat!"
"I’m sorry, but there aren’t any seats left for six people to sit together," the waiter replied.
At those words, one of the young men in the group noticed Bu Eunseol sitting alone. Momentarily taken aback by his striking appearance, which seemed to hold the sunlight, the young man nodded.
"There’s a seat over there." Striding over confidently, he spoke up. "The view from the third floor is the best, but there aren’t enough seats for our group."
The young man flashed a grin, revealing white teeth.
"If it’s alright, could you move to another seat? We’ll treat you to food and wine in return."
"No need." Bu Eunseol’s cold reply caused the young man’s eyebrows to shoot up.
"Then, will money do?" The young man placed a large gold coin, worth about forty taels, on the table where Bu Eunseol sat.
"This should cover the cost of moving."
"There seem to be a lot of wealthy people these days." Recalling Gu Cheongjeong’s attempt to offer a banknote, Bu Eunseol sighed.
From his robe, he pulled out a banknote worth a thousand taels and placed it on the table.
"I’ll pay, so you can eat elsewhere." The young man’s face twisted as if his pride had been wounded, and he raised his voice.
"Aren’t you looking down on me too much?" Judging by his tone and demeanor, he was clearly not from the righteous sects. "Or are you mocking me because you’re rich?"
"Turning the tables, are we? Weren’t you the one who brought up money first?" Speechless, the young man glared at Bu Eunseol, his expression darkening. "Why are you staring like that? Want to have a go at me?"
Bu Eunseol, unarmed, with a refined appearance and a slender frame, looked like a frail scholar who knew nothing of martial arts. Because of this, whether it was martial artists, merchants, or thugs, people often picked fights with him without hesitation.
"Or do you think being rich means you can hog this scenic seat all to yourself, huh?" As the young man’s provocations crossed the line, a voice interrupted.
"What’s going on?" A woman, arriving late on the third floor, let out a surprised exclamation as she approached.
"Young Master Bu?" It was none other than Gu Cheongjeong.
As it turned out, these six men were the "old friends from the martial world" she had planned to meet.
"Qingmei, you know him?" the young man asked, furrowing his brow.
Gu Cheongjeong, looking surprised, explained, "This is the Young Master Bu who lent us Seogangwon."
The young man clicked his tongue. No matter how it happened, he had picked a fight with someone who had done them a favor.
"So, what’s the issue?" Gu Cheongjeong asked.
The young man, smoothing his expression, stammered, "Well, there weren’t any good seats available…"
"I see. No helping it, then." Gu Cheongjeong glanced at Bu Eunseol, who sat alone, and blinked. "Let’s go somewhere else."
"Somewhere else?" The young man blinked, then shook his head. "This Unrae Inn has the best view. Where else would we go?"
"There’s no choice, is there? If there aren’t any seats…" Gu Cheongjeong said with a troubled smile.
Suddenly, the young man’s eyes lit up. Approaching Bu Eunseol with a polite demeanor, he clasped his hands together.
"I am Ma Han, the young master of the Sea Current Sword Sect." Pointing to Gu Cheongjeong and the others, he continued, "And my companions are all successors of the Seven Sword Sects of Qinghai."
The Seven Sword Sects of Qinghai.
In Qinghai, there were seven sword clans upholding the demonic tradition.
Originally, they had little interaction, but recently, their young masters had been gathering and actively bonding. As a result, the martial world collectively referred to them as the Seven Sword Sects of Qinghai.
"So, you’re the heroes of the Seven Sword Sects. I had no idea," Bu Eunseol said, feigning surprise.
Currently, he was training in secret and avoiding the pursuit of the Zhongnan Sect. There was no need to create unnecessary trouble.
"Then, Lady Gu is also a martial artist?"
"Yes. Actually, my name isn’t Gu Cheongjeong—it’s Guyang Cheongjeong." Guyang Cheongjeong said with an apologetic expression. "I’m sorry for deceiving you. I thought you weren’t from the martial world…"
She bowed her head in apology. In truth, she was the only daughter of Guyang Mugung, the master of the North Wind Sword Sect.
‘Now that I think about it, this is my first time seeing young martial artists from the demonic path.’ There were no young disciples at Nangyang Pavilion, and the only peers he’d met in the martial world were the Ten Demonic Warriors and Shim Wol of the Demonic Sect.
Seeing these young demonic martial artists gathered here stirred a strange feeling in Bu Eunseol.
"It’s fine. It’s common for martial artists to hide their names." Since he was concealing his own identity, he decided to play along with them. "I didn’t recognize the heroes of the demonic path." Bu Eunseol put on a surprised expression and said, "I’ll give up my seat, so you can eat here."
"No, there’s no need…" Guyang Cheongjeong, startled, reached out, but Bu Eunseol waved her off lightly.
"It’s fine. I was about to leave anyway."
"Haha, now I see you’re a man of discernment. Thank you," Ma Han said, laughing heartily and glancing at Guyang Cheongjeong.
Having secured the seat with a few words, he looked proud, expecting her praise.
"Now we’ve got a seat, Qingmei."
But contrary to his expectations, she frowned. The table where Bu Eunseol had been sitting still held untouched food and wine.
"Brother Ma Han, this isn’t right." She hurriedly followed Bu Eunseol. "Young Master Bu." Rushing down the stairs after him, Guyang Cheongjeong blocked his path.
"I’m sorry. We’ll leave, so please go back and finish your meal."
"It’s fine. I’m done eating."
"No, it’s not right. You lent us Seogangwon so generously, and we can’t cause you more trouble." She bowed deeply. "I’m really sorry."
Bu Eunseol’s expression showed slight surprise. This was quite different from her earlier insistence on borrowing Seogangwon. ‘Not entirely shameless, then.’ As Bu Eunseol looked mildly surprised, Guyang Cheongjeong widened her eyes as if offended.
"What’s that look? Did you think I’d shamelessly take your seat and laugh it off?"
"Wasn’t that the case?" Bu Eunseol chuckled, and Guyang Cheongjeong pouted, looking wronged.
"I only insisted on Seogangwon to keep my promise. It wasn’t for my own gain."
"It’s fine either way. I can eat at the annex." Bu Eunseol gave a faint smile and turned to leave. "Enjoy your time with your friends."
"Young Master Bu."
"Wait!" At that moment, Ma Han came down the stairs and approached Bu Eunseol.
"What is it?"
"Well… I think I acted rudely. Taking a seat from a guest who arrived first…" Ma Han’s apology lingered more on Guyang Cheongjeong than on Bu Eunseol.
Bu Eunseol immediately understood his behavior.
‘He likes her.’ Ma Han’s actions were clearly aimed at impressing Guyang Cheongjeong.
"It’s fine. Enjoy your meal." Bu Eunseol smiled lightly, and Guyang Cheongjeong’s eyes sparkled as if struck by an idea.
"Then, why don’t we move to Seogangwon and eat together?"
"What?" Ma Han’s jaw dropped.
Guyang Cheongjeong nodded enthusiastically.
"It’s fate, isn’t it? We’re all around the same age." Ma Han’s face paled.
In truth, he had been wary of Bu Eunseol’s handsome appearance. His attempt to impress had backfired, bringing Bu Eunseol back into the picture.
He could’ve cried.
"It’s fine. How could I dare share a table with the heroes of the Seven Sword Sects?" It was half a jest, but Guyang Cheongjeong genuinely thought Bu Eunseol was intimidated by the Seven Sword Sects’ reputation. "You seem like the heir of a prestigious family, Young Master Bu. Why not build ties with us? You won’t lose out by befriending us. Right, Brother Ma Han?"
With an innocent expression, she turned to Ma Han. With things having gone this far, Ma Han reluctantly chimed in.
"Many prestigious families seek ties with our sects. It’s rare for us to extend a hand first." In truth, compared to Bu Eunseol, a successor of the Ten Demonic Sects, they were merely heirs of minor sword clans from the Qinghai frontier.
It was like a country noble boasting to a prince living in a palace.
"I…" Bu Eunseol was about to refuse.
But seeing Guyang Cheongjeong’s persistent gaze, he let out a sigh.
‘She doesn’t know when to give up.’ Even if he refused, she would likely keep pressing, just as she had with Seogangwon.
"Fine." Bu Eunseol sighed deeply and nodded. "Let’s do it."
Bu Eunseol joined Guyang Cheongjeong and her group, moving to the banquet hall at Seogangwon.
Guyang Cheongjeong ordered her attendants to bring out enough dishes and wine to fill the large banquet table.
"Can we even eat all this?" Bu Eunseol asked.
Guyang Cheongjeong’s eyes curved into crescents.
"Don’t worry if there’s leftovers. It’s my treat, so eat plenty." As a guest, Bu Eunseol naturally ended up seated at the head of the table, next to Guyang Cheongjeong.
This meant he had to eat and converse with her. The six young men, drinking at their respective seats, glared at him with burning eyes. Their gazes all carried the same emotion.
Jealousy.
‘So that’s how it is.’ Six men, and the only woman was Guyang Cheongjeong. Beautiful and lively, it was only natural that these hot-blooded young men were smitten with her. ‘Now I understand why the successors of the Seven Sword Sects keep gathering.’
The reason these previously unconnected successors met regularly was clear—it was because of Guyang Cheongjeong. Their gatherings were a silent battle among the successors to win her heart.
‘Getting involved with this woman seems to stir up all sorts of trouble.’ Feeling the six pairs of fiery gazes, Bu Eunseol gave a wry smile.
And, as expected, that ominous feeling soon became reality.
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