The reason I’m so unsettled.
It’s because of that incident that happened during the Plum Blossom Swordsman’s second time hosting the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering.
The incident where a swordsman on the stage released Sword Qi, and it shot toward the spectators.
Naturally, the Murim Alliance has a formation in place to protect the crowd.
It’s a formation devised long ago by a genius of the Zhuge Clan, meant to keep attacks from spilling beyond a designated boundary.
That’s why people can watch from seats so close to the stage.
And yet something must have gone wrong then, because the Sword Qi flew straight into the audience.
The experts nearby rushed to intercept it, but it was so sudden they couldn’t stop the casualties.
Worse still, the area it struck was the pricey Class B section.
Back then, the Murim Alliance suppressed the details, afraid ticket sales for those seats would collapse.
So I don’t know exactly which row or seat it was.
I looked at Mother.
In my previous life, she hadn’t attended the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering around this time.
She’d regretted bitterly that she couldn’t see Cousin Hyang-ok perform.
But this time, because of that attack, Mother could be hurt.
The best outcome is to prevent the Sword Qi from leaving the stage at all, but even the Zhuge Clan’s formation failed to stop it.
Even so, I can’t forbid the fighters from stepping onto the platform.
They climbed up there carrying their own dreams of success.
And because of that incident, a martial artist with a brilliant future ended up breaking his sword.
Still, no matter how I turn it over in my head, there’s only one way to prevent the tragedy.
Watch closely, and move the instant it happens to block it.
If I do, my abilities may be exposed to the world—but that can’t be helped.
I can’t warn the escort guards ahead of time, after all.
If the attack comes toward me, they may react and stop it. But if it flies elsewhere, no one will be ready except me.
I’ve already prepared for the possibility of my skills being revealed, with the North Sea Ice Palace Lord’s help.
Even so, I feel like I should tell Master beforehand…
In any case, since it’s come to this, watching the tournament with Mother is inevitable.
.
.
.
Boom!
With the thunderous beat of a drum, the preliminaries began.
The first match was between a young heir of a minor martial family and a disciple of a small sect.
Come to think of it, the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering has strict entry requirements.
First, you must have no disqualifying issues in the Murim Alliance’s records.
It’s a bit vague, but in practice it means you can’t be a public enemy of Murim, nor someone from an Unorthodox Sect or Demonic Cult.
And the most important rule is age.
Only those under thirty, according to their family registry, may participate.
Mother and the Madam of the Gwangjun Merchant Group watched with shining eyes as the contestants crossed blades in earnest.
“Over there—if he moves like that, his footwork will tangle…”
“What a pity. If his judgment were just a touch faster…”
“Uh-oh! That strike will open him to a counter… Ah!”
Their commentary kept coming, and I was a little startled by how sharp their insight was.
Because everything they said was right.
Wait… Mother had this kind of eye for martial arts?
Why didn’t I realize it in my previous life?
Then I smiled bitterly to myself.
I probably never knew because I barely had the presence of mind to pay attention to her back then.
I knew she had talent.
But only in the vaguest way. Surviving came first.
After the Black Flute Physician saved my life, I was consumed with running the merchant group.
I remembered the look of pure delight she’d had when I gave her the soft sword I’d found in Luoyang last time.
I’d hoped she wouldn’t give up on her dream… and yet I’d forgotten again.
That Mother had once been a martial artist who dreamed of walking out into Murim.
The thought almost made me regret it all over again.
“Victory to the Young Hero of the Yeryun Sect!”
“Waaaaah!”
Before I knew it, the match was decided.
“We will begin the next match!”
Two more fighters leapt onto the stage, and the drum sounded again as their duel began.
The Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering takes more than fifteen days just for preliminaries.
Countless martial artists pour in from across the Empire, and every one of them must fight at least once.
Only when the field narrows to one hundred and eight does the main tournament begin.
So the Gathering runs for about a month, from the start of the Ninth Month to the start of the Tenth.
In my view, winning requires overwhelming skill—but luck in the draw matters too.
The fighters scheduled for that day gather in the morning and draw wooden plaques from a box to determine order.
That’s how the bracket is set. Fail to draw a numbered tag and you’re disqualified on the spot.
Then the reserve fighters are called up to take the empty slots.
Honestly, if you’re unlucky, you face a powerhouse in preliminaries and disappear early. If you’re lucky, you reach the main rounds and people hail you as a rising master.
Some complain it’s unfair, but the Murim Alliance doesn’t budge.
Their position is that luck is also a kind of skill—and they’re not wrong.
Surviving in Murim requires fortune.
Or strength great enough to bend fortune to you.
.
.
.
The first day of preliminaries ended just before the light fully faded.
I escorted Mother back to the inn and then stepped out again to check the Eunhae Merchant Group’s temporary shop.
“You worked hard again today.”
“You’re too kind.”
I encouraged Supervisor Yun and the employees, then listened to the day’s sales report.
The results were solid.
“As expected, high-grade tea sold the most.”
“Yes. Since the real clashes haven’t begun, it’s a good time for people to sit and talk, isn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
Once the rounds get higher, tensions rise, everyone grows wary of their opponents, and no one has the leisure for idle conversation.
Of course, people can drink tea at inns or tea houses.
But at this time of year, the tea houses are packed to bursting.
So they have no choice but to drink at inns—yet an inn’s tea rarely satisfies a martial artist’s refined palate.
Tea absorbs moisture and odors easily, and keeping it properly is difficult.
Many find the inn’s bulk-bought tea unsuited to their taste.
For the same reason, even if someone brings tea to Luoyang, its flavor changes quickly, so they end up buying locally anyway.
And martial artists are, by nature, suspicious.
Many prefer to purchase good tea themselves and brew it with their own hands, which is why our temporary shop is doing so well.
“Medicinal herbs will start moving in large quantities soon.”
“I think so too.”
“Please keep up the good work.”
“Of course, sir.”
And as I headed back toward the inn, I felt a familiar current of qi.
This qi…
I’d felt it before. But where?
“Young Warrior Baek. This doesn’t seem right.”
I smiled.
I recognized whose qi it was the moment I heard that familiar voice.
But given how sharp her tone was, things didn’t look good.
I quickened my pace toward the sound.
Inside a tavern, Lady Yu-ah stood facing a young man.
It had been a while, but she looked almost exactly as I remembered from my previous life, when people called her the Smilingless Jade Maiden.
That same frosty face.
She wasn’t like this the last time I saw her, was she?
In a cold voice, she said to him,
“Manipulating the outcome like this is pointless.”
Huh?
What is she talking about?
“Buying victory with money is something I can’t tolerate.”
“But it helps them too. What they need is money, not a win.”
Ah…
Hearing that exchange, memories from my previous life surfaced. There was a particular stain on the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering.
It was called “Buying Victory”—purchasing a win with silver.
It was possible because the preliminary match list was posted on the wall the day before.
People would approach a fighter in advance and say, “Lose to me tomorrow, and I’ll pay you a huge sum.”
It was mostly the sons of famous clans desperate for prestige, and eventually it was exposed.
Murim was thrown into chaos.
They claimed they’d done it only to meet their families’ expectations.
At the time, those families insisted they’d known nothing… but could that be true?
No.
They must have known and simply looked the other way.
If the results turned out well, it benefited the family too.
So that rot has already begun again.
Lady Yu-ah stepped out of the tavern, then her eyes widened when she saw me.
“It’s been a long time.”
“Oh? Young Hero Eun?”
The moment she recognized me, her eyes curved beautifully, and a smile bloomed.
That alone transformed her impression, as if she’d become a different person from the icy figure I’d just seen.
“What brings you here?”
“I came for the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering. Merchant groups always set up temporary shops for it.”
“Ah… right. Young Hero Eun is from the merchant world.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“To meet you like this! It’s sudden, but I’m truly happy. I’ve wanted to see you for a long time.”
She went on,
“Young Hero Eun is the benefactor of our family.”
“I’m just grateful you still remember.”
I clasped my hands in greeting as I spoke.
“I heard from Chief Administrator Yu that you went on a Hidden Dragon Journey. When did you return?”
“Recently. And I’ve officially entered my name into the Zhuge Clan registry.”
Entering the Zhuge Clan registry meant she’d been recognized as a true member of the clan.
“Congratulations.”
“This is thanks to you, Young Hero. Without you, I would have lost the place I could return to.”
“That’s an exaggeration.”
I replied modestly, though in my previous life, she’d been right.
She’d lost her home to return to—and along with it, her smile.
But not now.
She returned from her journey and became a respected Zhuge Clan member.
Smiling, she said,
“It isn’t an exaggeration. Still, it’s wonderful to see you like this. Ah! Enough standing around—come with me. Grandfather will be delighted.”
So the Grand Elder of the Zhuge Clan must have come as well.
But I shook my head gently.
“My lady, it’s already late. And your preliminary match is tomorrow, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. I’m in tomorrow’s preliminaries.”
“Then you should rest quickly. Without sleep, you won’t be able to show your true skill.”
At that, Lady Yu-ah pressed her hands to her cheeks and asked,
“Are you worrying about me?”
I let out a small chuckle.
“Yes. So meeting the Grand Elder can wait until tomorrow…”
Just then, I noticed no one was with her.
“My lady—did you come without escort guards?”
“We did come together. But I thought the gathering might take a while, so I told them to head back first and return later.”
“It must be a gathering of the children of notable Murim figures.”
“Well, yes. But if that had been the purpose, I wouldn’t have come. I just dirtied my ears for nothing.”
She grumbled, then flinched as she realized she was saying it in front of me.
“It was a Buying Victory gathering.”
“…You know about Buying Victory?”
“Merchants know more than you might think.”
“I see. Now I’m embarrassed for no reason.”
It was probably her first time hearing of it, since this was her first tournament.
“And I want to praise you for not putting even a toe into such dealings.”
At my words, she said,
“I hate cowardly things too. By the way, should I tell Grandfather about this?”
“You can, but it won’t help.”
There’s no evidence.
That’s why Buying Victory keeps happening.
The time it was exposed before was a rare exception.
She thought for a moment, then sighed.
“You’re right.”
Being as sharp as she was, she understood immediately.
“Anyway, since you’re headed that way, I’ll walk with you.”
Lady Yu-ah said she was staying at the Zhuge Clan’s Luoyang residence near the Murim Alliance.
Any clan with a real name in Murim keeps at least one such house in Luoyang.
As we walked toward it together, I swallowed a bitter laugh.
Murim really is a chaotic mess, through and through.
–TL Notes–
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