[Murim Alliance Leader] Luo Jian Changtian (1)
Luo Jian Changtian.
It had already been seven days and nights since we arrived in Henan.
Snow was falling from the sky today as well.
As if proving the season, the snow piled high on the ground was enough to turn the world white.
Crunch.
Every time I stepped on the piled snow, a pleasant sound could be heard.
"Wow! Wow!"
Wi Seol-ah, wrapped tightly in fur clothes, had a bright expression as if the piled snow was simply fascinating.
Well, perhaps due to the influence of the land, snow and rain rarely fell in Shanxi.
"Huuu..."
The weather was exceptionally cold today, making my chilled ears ache slightly.
"Young Master! Where are we going right now?"
Hopping like a rabbit, Wi Seol-ah ran up to me and asked.
I stroked Wi Seol-ah's black hair with my hand.
'Looks like she grew a bit taller.'
Just as I had grown a lot this year, so had Wi Seol-ah.
If there was a slight difference, it seemed our eye levels used to be similar.
It's just that I had gotten a bit taller.
I slightly twirled Wi Seol-ah's hair and said.
"The Murim Alliance."
"What kind of place is that?"
"It's a place where there are kids who act white but are actually black."
"I know that! Baduk-i in front of our house looks like that."
Baduk-i...?
Wondering what that was, I tilted my head, and Hong Wa subtly explained from beside me.
"I believe she is referring to the cat that occasionally wanders in and out of our quarters."
"There's a cat in our quarters?"
At my questioning, Hong Wa flinched in surprise.
What, was it something I shouldn't have asked?
After hesitating briefly, Hong Wa, who seemed to quickly make up her mind, spoke.
"...I apologize. As soon as we return, I will dispose of the cat..."
"What are you talking about...! I just asked, I simply asked."
How do you dispose of a cat...
"Achoo!"
A sneeze was heard as I walked, letting out a laugh of disbelief at the absurd remark.
Looking back, Nangong Bi-a was wiping her nose.
She seemed to be dressed quite warmly, but was she cold?
The fur coat Nangong Bi-a was wearing, by the way, was given by Tang So-yeol.
"Cold?"
"...A little."
"Then circulate your inner qi at least."
Since the martial arts I learned are what they are, I don't really feel the cold.
Nangong Bi-a shouldn't be like that either.
Usually at times like this, one would wrap their body in inner qi to feel a bit better.
"...Because it's a bother..."
"What exactly is a bother...?"
It seemed Nangong Bi-a didn't want to.
Good grief, she finds that bothersome.
After briefly looking at Nangong Bi-a's hands, reddened from the cold, I reached my hand out.
Wondering what I was doing, Nangong Bi-a hesitated before cautiously reaching her hand out.
"What's with the mentality of not even wearing gloves when you're freezing to death?"
"It's a bother..."
"Fine, never mind."
Talking to her just gives me stress.
I abruptly grabbed Nangong Bi-a's hand and infused it with warmth.
The hand I grabbed was like a slab of ice.
If she's going to be this cold, she should at least wrap her hands in her sleeves or keep them inside her clothes.
Making me worry.
After using some inner qi, Nangong Bi-a's hands quickly warmed up.
However, separately, her face seemed to have reddened a bit.
"Is it your face that's cold this time?"
As I let go of her hand and reached toward her cheek, Nangong Bi-a flinched and stepped back.
"...St...stop."
Knowing her own face was red, Nangong Bi-a tried to hide it with her clothes.
When it wouldn't hide properly, she covered her face with her hair.
"...What are you doing?"
Since her hair was so long, it did cover her face, but it was quite a comical sight.
It was an action I could understand yet couldn't.
My hand, which awkwardly hovered after failing to touch Nangong Bi-a's cheek, became Wi Seol-ah's prize.
"Wow! Young Master's hand is warm!"
As if feeling good from the warmth, she rubbed it against her cheek.
Every time I felt the sensation of Wi Seol-ah's cheek, there was a sense of disappointment.
Feeling that subtle difference in sensation, I said to Wi Seol-ah.
"You lost weight again."
"Eung...?"
"Do you want to be scolded, seriously?"
"Wh...why would I be scolded?"
"Because you did something to be scolded for, you'll be scolded!"
Why is that?
I clearly even passed on a message to Hong Wa to prepare more food for her.
As if answering my doubt, Hong Wa hastily said to me.
"I am feeding her well, from three to four meals a day."
"What about night snacks?"
"Even if I don't prepare those, she eats them on her own."
Hearing her speak, it seemed like she was eating well.
But why isn't she gaining weight?
It was truly a mystery.
Not only from words, but seeing it in person, she eats an enormous amount.
'Then how much did she eat when she seemed to gain a little weight before?'
Recalling just a few months ago, did she eat that astonishingly much?
Such a thought crossed my mind, making it slightly frightening.
Lately, Wi Seol-ah's time spent alone had increased, making it seem like she was hiding something.
'Hiding something from me.'
Even if she had something to hide, she's at that age where it's expected.
But I couldn't help but be concerned for some reason.
While I was fiddling with Wi Seol-ah's cheek like that.
There was a presence gently approaching.
"Hmm?"
Wondering what it was, I saw Tang So-yeol approaching with an extremely shy expression.
"Miss Tang?"
"Ninth Young Master..."
Then she subtly held out her hand.
Strange?
I thought I saw Tang So-yeol wearing gloves earlier.
Very expensive-looking fur gloves.
But where did those gloves go, and Tang So-yeol's hands were now bare.
"My hands are cold too..."
Before Tang So-yeol could even finish her sentence, Nangong Bi-a snatched Tang So-yeol's hand.
"...My hands are still warm."
With hands still warm from my remaining body heat, she vigorously rubbed Tang So-yeol's hands.
Her hands seemed to be getting warm, but separately, Tang So-yeol's expression became sullen.
[It's a dog's mess... no, should I call it a cat's mess?]
As Old Man Shin let out a sigh-filled lament, there seemed to be one more person thinking the exact same thing.
"...How is it that even after several days, you are still so exceptionally 'harmonious'."
It was Murong Hui-a, who hadn't been seen much for a few days.
After Nangong Tianjun briefly showed his face and disappeared, I hardly saw Murong Hui-a afterwards either.
Around the time we left Bacheonmaru, Murong Hui-a reappeared and joined our journey.
Since it was on the way to the Murim Alliance, and Tang So-yeol was subtly trying to go along with us, I didn't express any particular dissatisfaction.
Unlike at the inn, Murong Hui-a, who had cast off her veil, had the same face as before.
A cat-like face exuding a peculiar atmosphere.
Was the bewitching atmosphere she gave off even while standing still due to her unique eye shape?
Probably her brilliant sky-blue eyes also played a part in giving off such a feeling.
Perhaps because I was staring at her for a moment, I made eye contact with Murong Hui-a.
As our eyes met, Murong Hui-a gave a slight smile with her eyes.
'What?'
It was a captivating smile that would have made ordinary men fall for her in an instant.
'Why is she doing that?'
From my standpoint, it was utterly unimpressive.
Because the reason she made such an expression was rarely for a good reason.
Murong Hui-a was a person who knew very well that she was beautiful.
She knew very well that she had a face that worked exceptionally well on men, and she was a woman who knew how to use it.
And usually, when she made that kind of expression, it was when she was laying the groundwork to bewitch her opponent.
For me, who knew all those intentions, it felt like whatever liking I had would drop even further.
'Maybe it's because of the kids next to me, I've gotten a bit used to it.'
If I kept looking only at Wi Seol-ah and Nangong Bi-a, the other women around would look like clay in comparison.
I just gave a slight nod to Murong Hui-a's smile and turned my gaze away.
[You brat.]
'Yes.'
[...It seems to me that I've been feeling cold lately.]
'Yes...?'
Do ghosts feel the cold too? It was like that last time as well, and for some reason she showed a particularly weak appearance in winter; did she have a problem?
[Why do all those kinds of women flock only to you? It feels so chilling that it's bizarre. Is it my time to die?]
'Ah, seriously... I thought something was wrong with you.'
I worried for nothing.
Why is someone who died hundreds of years ago suddenly saying such frail things.
[Do you have any idea!? Do you know my heart that couldn't even date properly because I was busy supporting the sect!?]
'Why are you taking your anger out on me for that?'
She seemed to be getting stranger and stranger. Did I really need to find a virtuous female ghost somewhere?
'...But where would I find that.'
Should I go look for a Daoist temple?
No, I was worried that if I went there, they might offer to exorcise Old Man Shin instead.
[What is this nonsense, why would they offer to exorcise me.]
'Looking at it from the front or the back, based on your personality, you're closer to an evil spirit...'
[Follow me out here, before I go to the immortal realm, I will definitely take you with me.]
Just as Old Man Shin was about to scream, unable to bear it any longer, Muyeon matched his steps to mine and spoke.
"Young Master."
"Hmm?"
"We have arrived."
Before Muyeon could say anything, my gaze was already fixed on the massive building ahead.
Walls enclosing a vast area, far exceeding not only the Gu Family but also the Tang Family main house I visited in Sichuan.
And the enormous buildings standing firmly within.
This place was the heart of the righteous faction, a place called the Center.
The Murim Alliance.
For me, it was a place I hadn't seen in years, including before my regression.
Entering the Murim Alliance wasn't too difficult. I had already stayed at Bacheonmaru in the first place.
And I had more than enough means to prove my identity.
Right now, I was in the waiting room to attend the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
'A Gold-tier room.'
Recalling that the room at Bacheonmaru was Silver-tier, I needed to think about why the treatment had suddenly changed.
'What is there to think... It must be because of Ba Zun.'
The letter of recommendation from Ba Zun that I handed over along with the invitation when entering Bacheonmaru.
Probably, thanks to that being passed up the chain of command.
The privileges granted by the recommendation letter of one of the Three Lords were already becoming noticeable.
This wasn't entirely a welcome story.
Well, what can you do, it's already happened.
"The banquet is scheduled to start in about one shike. If you need clothes to change into..."
"It's fine. I brought them separately."
"Understood."
The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was meant to show how much the late masters had grown that year, as well as to let many people know how brilliant their talents were, but.
The true nature the Murim Alliance pursued inwardly was the management of connections.
Honestly, it's just frustrating to go and only fight, but they want you to go, mingle with the noble bloodlines, and get on familiar terms with them.
It meant to refine relationships for the future.
Without at least that, there would be no point for prestigious families to bother sending their bloodline.
[...It's rotten, rotten. In my time, it wasn't like this.]
The results of training and the tempering of the flesh. If one wanted to show their conviction as a martial artist.
'A place other than here would be better.'
The Shenlong Pavilion, a supreme educational institution created by the Murim Alliance.
And the Shenlong Tournament held separately.
Arguably, that place would be better.
This is Shenlong, that is Shenlong, and even the title is Shenlong.
It felt like the Murim Alliance really liked Shenlong.
'Shenlong...'
Why did the giant snake I encountered in the secret cave in the past suddenly come to mind?
The monster that most resembled the dragon I had imagined.
The golden eyes of the snake looking down at me remained vividly in my memory.
'Is that too out of the blue?'
Even I thought it was a thought that popped up too abruptly.
Was it because I was nervous?
'Nervous at a playground for kids.'
It would be physical tension rather than mental.
I decided to think of it that way.
"Young Master, your clothes..."
"Ah, right. I have a favor to ask."
Hong Wa carefully approached and helped me dress.
Having to change clothes, how annoying.
That was because the first day of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was a banquet.
It was probably meant to meet, chat a bit, and have some exchange.
Thanks to that, I also had to semi-forcibly wear clothes that looked expensive.
Seeing that even my father, who seemed like he wouldn't care about such things at all, gave me this to wear, it seemed like he viewed it as important.
As I quietly changed clothes, I said to Hong Wa.
"Can you take out the ornaments?"
"Ah, don't worry, Young Master. I thought you would say that, so I didn't bring the ornaments."
"..."
That was a bit disappointing in its own way.
Usually at times like this, shouldn't she be a bit surprised, saying, "Our Young Master wanted so many flashy and expensive things, but now you don't!"
'She adapted too quickly...'
I wondered if it was because Hong Wa, not just Wi Seol-ah, had spent some time traveling with me.
"Isn't it too plain?"
"This is plain?"
The clothes, personalized with red fabric and gold embroidery, looked plain compared to the clothes others would wear, but.
"This is much more expensive than your salaries from head to toe."
It was by no means ordinary clothes.
At my words, Hong Wa's eyes grew as big as lanterns.
The Gu Family had smaller buildings compared to other families, and since my regression, we had lived inconspicuously, but.
The timber used to build the Gu Family's buildings, as well as the clothes we wore, were all top-grade products.
"Yet in places like that, you spend money without sparing it."
My father's thoughts were truly incomprehensible.
Finally, I was looking for a string to tie my hair.
Wi Seol-ah approached with a string as if she had been waiting.
"Young Master!"
"Yeah?"
"Can I try tying it?"
"My hair?"
"Yeah!"
At Wi Seol-ah's words, Hong Wa tried to hastily scold her, but I raised my hand to stop her.
"Go ahead."
"Woohoo!"
What's so hard about this.
With my permission granted, Wi Seol-ah quickly went behind me and fiddled with my hair.
It looked a somewhat clumsy skill, but there wouldn't be a problem.
If it got too strange, Hong Wa would fix it.
'Did Wi Seol-ah have dexterity?'
In my memory, probably not.
Even in my past life, I saw her struggling, unable to tie a single knot properly.
Sure enough, the more she fiddled with it, the more Hong Wa's expression in front of me changed into despair.
"...Se, Seol-ah."
"Eung?"
"The rest... I'll do it."
"Why?"
I'm curious too.
"Why are you doing that?"
"It's nothing. Young Master, nothing is wrong..."
Saying that with a disaster-facing expression, would it be believable?
"There is absolutely no problem with the Young Master's hair."
"If that's a lie, you're getting your hair done exactly like mine right now too, okay?"
"...There is a very small problem."
In the end, Wi Seol-ah stepped back with a disappointed expression, and Hong Wa hastily began to fix it.
Knock knock.
A presence was felt outside the waiting room door.
-Ninth Young Master, are you there?
"J-Just a moment."
At the voice looking for me, Hong Wa's hands became urgent.
It seemed things weren't going well.
-Right now, to see the Young Master... Ah! Alliance Leader, wait a moment...
Rattle.
The door was abruptly opened even though I hadn't given permission yet.
I knew there was still time until the banquet. What is it?
"Sorry for coming suddenly..."
Seeing the man who opened the door and entered, I halted, and the man also halted when he saw me.
A middle-aged man with a good-natured impression. The martial uniform he was wearing boldly had the character 'Alliance' embroidered on it.
And the man was also a person I knew.
"Alliance Leader...?"
The Murim Alliance Leader, Luo Jian Changtian.
The current head of the Murim Alliance, a man receiving the attention and respect of numerous righteous faction martial artists.
Why would such a person come to see me now?
"Tha..."
Changtian, who was about to say something to me, subtly covered his mouth.
'That old man seems to be smiling?'
Don't tell me he's smiling at my hair...?