Reincarnated Sword Ghost

Chapter 134 : Heavenly Martial Hall Lord

Heavenly Martial Hall Lord

"... You mean, me? In person?"

Jeong-un asked back, his eyes widening slightly.

The Hall Lord, who hadn't even shown his face at the one-time entry ceremony, was now summoning him.

He had every right to be suspicious.

'Wait.'

Just then, a thought occurred to him. The letter that Yeom Baek had mentioned earlier.

He had simply assumed it was referring to the report Gwak Gyeong from the General Affairs Department, his usual contact, had sent to the Heavenly Martial Hall.

But if the Hall Lord himself wanted to see him, he had a feeling about it.

Jeong-un asked, "By any chance, is that letter from the abbot of Shaolin?"

"That's right. What else did you think it was?"

Yeom Baek nodded as if it were obvious.

"You've been there yourself, so you know, but Shaolin is an immensely powerful sect. The Tendon Changing Classic those monks tirelessly practice since childhood is a peerless divine art, needless to say. In actual combat, it's often easier to kill an opponent outright than to subdue them. Yet those Shaolin monks are famous for crippling the dantian of nearby unorthodox faction members one by one, rather than killing them. That alone proves how skilled each one of them is."

Jeong-un recalled the Shaolin warrior monks he had seen with his own eyes.

Despite their vast number, their ki pathways had been truly exceptional.

He wondered if there could be any other group in the martial world capable of contending with them.

Hadn't that arrogant Demonic Cult leader also waited outside the Shaolin gates for the brazen bell to ring?

While he was pondering, Yeom Baek continued.

"But the leader of such a group personally wrote and sent a letter. And addressed it directly to the Hall Lord, no less. Considering the usual relationship between Shaolin and us, it's even more surprising."

Shaolin was well-known for never sending even a single disciple to the Heavenly Martial Hall.

In fact, it was simply impossible for them to do so.

They were a grand temple that considered non-killing an essential precept.

"Imagine how shocked the leadership must have been. And to top it off, your name was mentioned several times in the letter. It's no wonder the Hall Lord wants to see you."

Having said this, Yeom Baek's face briefly grimaced before he spoke again.

"... No, it actually is odd. The Hall Lord himself wishing to meet a mere martial officer? Life truly brings strange things."

"It's not a common occurrence, then?"

"Of course not."

Yeom Baek looked at him with a furrowed brow, as if wondering why Jeong-un was stating the obvious.

Even his voice rose a little inappropriately.

"The Hall Lord is an extremely noble figure in the martial world, regardless of position. This isn't a teacher-disciple sect where we're all bound together. Why would he associate closely with you, someone who'll leave without a backward glance after five years?"

"..."

Jeong-un gazed quietly at Yeom Baek.

He wasn't someone he saw often, but someone he'd met on missions.

He always looked exhausted, buried in a pile of documents, passing on mission details.

'So he can make that kind of face.'

Had Yeom Baek admired the Hall Lord?

Now that he mentioned the Sword Sovereign, he looked unexpectedly animated.

Normally expressionless, this liveliness felt all the more unfamiliar.

Jeong-un asked, "Then, am I going to meet him right now?"

"He said to come see him when you're ready. Any time today is fine, he said. Go home, rest and recover your strength, then come find me again."

But Jeong-un shook his head and said, "I think I might as well go straight away. There's nothing to prepare, after all. Besides, we don't even know what he'll ask."

He had just finished his ritual cleansing anyway—a stroke of luck.

Watching Jeong-un mutter so nonchalantly, Yeom Baek gave a small laugh.

"Alright, I'll send word that you'll go immediately."

Yeom Baek stepped to the window and stretched out his hand.

In the distance, the white hawk's wings beat clearly as it flew in.

* * *

He followed behind Yeom Baek, who was leading the way.

As they left the pavilion and walked along the main avenue of the Heavenly Martial Hall, martial officers greeted them.

While bowing to Yeom Baek, the corps leader, they also cast sidelong glances at Jeong-un, who followed.

"So he really did return."

"I heard he went through something incredible."

"My clan received a letter. Asking to confirm the contents..."

It was never pleasant to hear people gossiping about you, especially those you'd never even conversed with before.

Still, he had reason to listen closely.

There were truths to be gleaned from the things people blurted out.

The value of such information depended on the listener—wasn't that how the Beggar's Union worked?

'The rumors have already spread far and wide.'

Naturally so—after all, there had been no shortage of witnesses to what happened at Shaolin.

Never mind the fact that he'd attended the Shaolin Assembly with a changed face thanks to the norigae; there had been plenty of martial artists who'd seen the moment he'd rushed at the enemy atop the cliff.

Yet Jeong-un walked expressionlessly, not paying the glances any mind.

He was not one to attach much importance to reputation anyway.

Not so long ago, he had mingled with the precious offspring of the great martial clans.

In fact, he'd been wearied by their obsession with gaining fame.

So he kept walking, even passing the pavilion where Zhuge Cheon-woo's office was located—a place he'd entered once before.

This was the first time he had ever come so deep into the heart of the Heavenly Martial Hall.

Now, even the number of martial officers he encountered dwindled sharply.

At last, they reached a huge pavilion.

Even at a glance, it was clear this was the very center of the Heavenly Martial Hall's grounds.

He had arrived at the innermost part of the Hall.

"Let's go in."

The guards stationed in front were not wearing the Heavenly Martial Hall's martial garb.

Their dark blue uniforms bore no gold embroidery on the left arm.

Upon seeing Yeom Baek, they nodded and opened the doors.

As Jeong-un passed, he could sense in their eyes a curious glint of interest.

'Experts.'

Regardless of what the guards thought of him, Jeong-un likewise made a quick assessment of them.

Even as he passed, he could feel the immense ki contained within their ki pathways.

Perhaps it made sense, seeing as they were the guards for the Hall Lord's office.

Even the officers posted at the door were unusual.

Not that a peerless expert like the Hall Lord really needed bodyguards, but still.

They climbed a few steps.

Standing before the Hall Lord's office, Yeom Baek called out.

"Hall Lord."

"Ah, come in."

No sooner had Yeom Baek spoken than a reply sounded from inside.

Just from the voice, it seemed a kindly old man. As Jeong-un was about to imagine his appearance, the door opened.

"Ah, you must be..."

He came face to face with the Heavenly Martial Hall Lord.

Jeong-un stopped dead in his tracks and stared quietly at the old man before him.

'So this is the man...'

Contrary to his gentle voice, his forehead was astonishingly straight, projecting a sense of firmness and uprightness.

Beneath it, his facial features were strong and well-defined, attesting to once-exceptional looks in his youth.

Even the long white beard suited him perfectly.

'What overwhelming ki...'

He was nothing like what Jeong-un had vaguely pictured from his voice: his physique was immense, and the aura radiating from his body was tremendously intense.

Jeong-un stood still, feeling the pressure of his ki waves throughout his body, staring at the old man until Yeom Baek called out to him.

"Yu Jeong-un."

"... Ah."

Only then did he take another step forward, regaining his composure.

Step, step.

The Hall Lord's office was so large, it took up an entire floor of the pavilion.

The closer he got, the more intense became the feeling of stepping into a storm of overflowing ki.

Once he stood before him, the Hall Lord spoke first, his face wreathed in a broad smile.

"Yes, so it's you. My name is Zhang Mun-gi."

"Yu Jeong-un of the Blue Scale Corps."

Jeong-un bowed with a martial salute, his head lowered, and Zhang Mun-gi gave a satisfied nod.

"I never thought there would come a day when that old monk from Shaolin would write me a letter. Do you know how many times I read that letter? I had a truly rare experience, thanks to you."

"You aren't old acquaintances?"

Jeong-un asked with a puzzled face.

The Shaolin abbot Mu Jung had been the one to offer to write the letter.

Jeong-un hadn't even asked for it; the abbot was simply concerned about censure for failure.

That had made Jeong-un think they must personally know each other.

"We've crossed paths. But we've never really gotten along."

So they weren't on the best of terms.

Jeong-un realized that even among the highest peaks of the martial world, all kinds of relationships existed.

"But..."

Zhang Mun-gi stared at Jeong-un as though beholding something marvelous.

"You've already achieved mastery in controlling the flow of true ki. And your martial arts foundation is built on extraordinarily pure energy. At your age, that's truly exceptional."

His gaze seemed to dissect every inch of Jeong-un at a minute level.

His words, flowing out unreservedly, felt more like an appraisal than simple conversation.

Was it meant as praise?

It was hard to take it that way—as a martial artist, Jeong-un found that gaze uncomfortable, as if he were being analyzed to the bone.

Jeong-un carefully opened his mouth.

"I heard you summoned me. I also heard this isn't something that happens often."

At this, Yeom Baek beside him flinched.

'... It's not like I said anything odd.'

That reaction seemed almost overly sensitive.

There was no reason why he should just stand here waiting for him to finish his assessment.

Zhang Mun-gi broke into laughter and nodded.

"That's right. I was the one who summoned you. You must be tired, having just returned from your mission—my apologies."

"It's alright."

Zhang Mun-gi continued.

"That Venerable Mu Jung let his pen trail long and far for each character. Even if we're not close, I know his detached temperament well. He usually tries his best to be concise—he must have struggled to put all those words together."

Did he?

Jeong-un murmured inwardly.

The two times he'd met Mu Jung, the man hadn't seemed detached—in fact, he'd seemed meticulous and attentive.

A detached man wouldn't send a letter himself.

"There were many astonishing things written, but what caught my attention most was you."

"About me, sir?"

He'd meant it literally.

There'd been plenty of major and minor incidents on Mount Song.

The most notable, of course, was the business with the Demonic Cult leader.

And yet the focus had been on him.

Zhang Mun-gi said to the puzzled Jeong-un,

"Mu Jung referred to that man as the Demonic Cult leader. If he says so, he's absolutely certain. According to the report from the General Affairs Department, you encountered him twice, is that right?"

"Yes."

Jeong-un answered curtly. He figured there was no need to explain what the Hall Lord already knew in detail.

"Venerable Mu Jung is worried for you. He's heard that man is tracking your movements. Truly a strange turn of events. Of course, your remarkable abilities are apparent to me at a glance, but even so, it's odd that such a figure would show so much interest in a young martial artist. That's not something to be taken lightly."

"...."

Now, Jeong-un thought he understood why he had been called here.

He also realized why, the moment they met, the Hall Lord had seemed to examine him so closely.

The Hall Lord was curious.

Why would the Demonic Cult leader show such interest in a mere rising star?

And even now, his eyes glittered as he watched Jeong-un. He felt an odd stirring at the spot above his dantian.

After watching him for a moment, Zhang Mun-gi spoke.

"Well, the likes of us can't fathom the motives of someone like that. Even Venerable Mu Jung doesn't understand why he took the Shaolin brazen bell over anything else. In any case, as a result of this, we've agreed to communicate closely and work together more closely from now on. This is thanks to you."

"... I don't think it's because of me, sir, but I'm glad things worked out."

Shaolin was an overwhelming group.

If the Heavenly Martial Hall moved in concert with them, it would be a huge help in subduing the unorthodox factions, not to mention the Demonic Cult leader himself.

Zhang Mun-gi shook his head.

"No, it's thanks to you. Mu Jung took a liking to you, which made things go smoothly between us as well. I'm glad to see a young person with such outstanding talent."

"Thank you."

"You've done well. Go and finish resting from your journey."

With a courteous bow, Jeong-un turned to leave, accompanied by Yeom Baek, who still looked at him with a strange expression.

It had been a much shorter meeting than he expected, almost anticlimactic considering how tense he'd been.

Honestly, he was grateful.

He did have many things to do.

He might have told Baek Il-gang otherwise, but there was still a lot of martial arts to work on at the training hall.

At that moment, the Hall Lord's voice called from behind.

"Are you in your second year now?"

"...?"

He turned around, puzzled, along with Yeom Baek.

Zhang Mun-gi glanced at Jeong-un's left arm and said,

"Two stripes, I see."