SYM 4

 The hall was packed with people.

He hadn’t realized a banquet was being held. It was an even grander event than he’d expected.

Eun-hyeon quickly scanned his surroundings to assess the atmosphere. Seating was arranged by age and rank.

With so many people, he thought he might be able to quietly slip by unnoticed if he sat at the edge.

At that moment, Ha Yeo-un grabbed Eun-hyeon’s shoulder.

“This way, young master. Where are you trying to go?”

“No, I… Wait, I’m…”

Ignoring Eun-hyeon’s words, Ha Yeo-un pulled him to one side.

“Hey, Great Hero Ha! Where have you been? Come over here. Everyone, Great Hero Ha has arrived!”

As Ha Yeo-un arrived, the whole area became noisy. Everyone seemed to be trying their best to make a good impression on Ha Yeo-un.

Seeing this scene, Eun-hyeon truly felt Ha Yeo-un’s popularity.

Eun-hyeon quietly slipped away from Ha Yeo-un while people were surrounding him.

Eun-hyeon found a quiet spot with fewer people and settled down. He took off his thick coat, pushed it to a corner, quickly fixed his hair, and sat as if he’d been there all along.

His clothes were old and his overall appearance was shabby, but due to his naturally good looks, he didn’t look too bad.

Just then, someone approached, noticing the empty seat next to Eun-hyeon.

“I see we have a guest. I haven’t seen you before, young hero. May I ask who you are?””

The man poured wine into a cup and pushed it towards Eun-hyeon.

“Oh, I’m… Ha Mo. It’s a small sect, so you wouldn’t know even if I told you. I’m here to broaden my knowledge.”

Eun-hyeon hesitated, looking at the wine cup, before introducing himself as Ha Mo. When one didn’t want to reveal their name, they would state their surname and use ‘Mo’ (某, meaning ‘someone’) for the given name.

“Ah, Young Great Hero Ha. I’m Yeo Muho from the Mosan Sect.”

“… The Mosan Sect?”

Yeo Muho’s face hardened at Eun-hyeon’s words. He seemed to think Eun-hyeon was dismissing the Mosan Sect by asking.

“The Mosan Sect, isn’t that the sect where renowned Taoist masters gather?”

Eun-hyeon quickly added, reading Yeo Muho’s expression.

“You know of the Mosan Sect…?”

“Of course. I’ve heard it’s difficult to even see a Mosan Sect Taoist once in a lifetime. I must be lucky today.”

At Eun-hyeon’s words, Yeo Muho’s mouth spread into a wide smile.

Just then, a white robe interjected between the two.

Both Eun-hyeon and Yeo Muho looked up in surprise to see Ha Yeo-un’s face.

“… White-Robed Divine Dragon?”

“Well, a Mosan Sect Taoist. I’m meeting such an esteemed person here. Hahaha.”

Ha Yeo-un snatched the wine cup in front of Eun-hyeon. It happened so quickly that Eun-hyeon couldn’t say anything.

Even though he had been worried about Yeo Muho offering him wine, having it taken away was quite bewildering in its own way.

“Forgive me for rudely interrupting your conversation. When I heard ‘Mosan Sect’, I just… Hahaha.”

“Great Hero Ha?”

Yeo Muho’s mouth fell open. He instantly forgot about the impressive young hero who knew Mosan Sect well.

“Great Great Hero Ha knows about Mosan Sect!”

With a flushed face, Yeo Muho couldn’t hide his excitement.

“To meet Great Great Hero Ha like this… Wait, you even know about our Mosan Sect? It’s an honor.”

“Of course. I certainly do. You said you were Great Hero Yeo, right?”

Ha Yeo-un casually shared a drink with Yeo Muho, holding Eun-hyeon’s cup.

Eun-hyeon looked at Ha Yeo-un with a dumbfounded expression, but Ha Yeo-un didn’t even glance his way.

It was amusing how he pretended not to look while clearly here to interfere with Eun-hyeon.

At this point, Eun-hyeon became curious about Ha Yeo-un’s intentions.

…Surely he wasn’t doing this because Eun-hyeon didn’t answer his question earlier?

He had asked where Eun-hyeon had heard those words.

Eun-hyeon seriously pondered what it could be.

Could he be referring to ‘dog poop’?

Nothing else particularly came to mind.

As he tilted his head, his eyes met Ha Yeo-un’s. Ha Yeo-un looked at Eun-hyeon and slightly raised the corners of his mouth in a gentle smile.

A stranger might have thought it was a pleasant smile, but Eun-hyeon knew it was meant to tease him.

“Huh…”

It was too ridiculous to say anything.

It wasn’t like he could pick a fight by asking, “Why are you messing with me?”

In the end, Eun-hyeon decided to just turn away and ignore Ha Yeo-un.

He couldn’t drink alcohol anyway, and he had no intention of socializing with Yeo Muho, so he figured Ha Yeo-un had taken care of all the annoying parts for him.

With the table full of delicacies, he might as well enjoy the food.

Honestly, the food Soso had been bringing was patient meals and tasted terrible.

“But Great Hero Yeo, what brings you all the way to Namgung Estate?”

“Ah, I was invited.”

“By the Namgung family head?”

“No, the one who invited me was Madam Hwang.”

Overhearing Ha Yeo-un and Yeo Muho’s conversation, Eun-hyeon’s ears perked up involuntarily at the mention of Madam Hwang.

Madam Hwang was Namgung Eun-hyeon’s stepmother, and Eun-hyeon had been suspecting that she might have sent the poison.

It felt unsettling that this stepmother had separately summoned a Taoist priest.

While the Mosan Sect was one of the lesser-known Taoist sects, they were actually famous for their zombie and talisman arts.

Why would Madam Hwang call for a Mosan Sect Taoist…?

As Eun-hyeon’s chopsticks slowed and he became lost in thought, he unconsciously looked up and saw Ha Yeo-un eating Kung Pao Chicken while subtly pushing away the peanuts.

Observing further, he continued to avoid the peanuts and only picked at the chicken.

It wasn’t just the Kung Pao Chicken. From the braised pork belly to the yu xiang pork, he neatly removed the vegetables and only ate the meat.

Yet his actions were so natural that no one else at the table seemed to notice.

Suddenly, Eun-hyeon was reminded of his young disciple, Un.

Un had a habit that wouldn’t change no matter how much Eun-hyeon scolded him – he was a picky eater.

When scolded for being picky, Un later cleverly pretended to eat while secretly sorting his food. That behavior was very similar to Ha Yeo-un’s now.

Thinking of his disciple, Eun-hyeon found himself smiling unconsciously.

Seeing the resemblance to Un made the previously annoying Ha Yeo-un seem somewhat cute.

“The Namgung family head has arrived!”

At someone’s shout, everyone’s attention focused on one spot.

“Congratulations, Namgung family head. We heard you gained great enlightenment from this training.”

“This will once again change the standing of the Namgung family!”

Many people surrounded Namgung Juwon, congratulating him on the results of his recent training.

It seemed this banquet was to celebrate Namgung Juwon’s martial arts achievement.

Eun-hyeon observed his father, Namgung Juwon, from a distance.

Although Namgung Juwon must have been at least in his forties, he looked just like a young man.

Next to Namgung Juwon stood an elaborately dressed noble lady. Her attire was so extravagant that she wouldn’t look out of place in the imperial palace.

That woman must be Madam Hwang.

Behind Madam Hwang, who looked as if she was covered in gold, stood a tall young man. Even at a glance, he appeared to be a head taller than Eun-hyeon. This must be his half-brother, Namgung Eung-wang.

As soon as Eun-hyeon identified his family members, he quietly lowered his head. It would be troublesome if their eyes met.

“Now that the Namgung family head has made such an achievement, things should be peaceful for a while.”

“Indeed. Lately, the demonic cult forces have been causing trouble in the martial world, but they’ll have to be careful now. I hear the young master also made a great achievement along with the family head this time.”

“The young master too? My, what a blessing for the martial world.”

With Namgung Juwon’s appearance, even where Eun-hyeon was sitting became noisy with talk about him.

Namgung Eun-hyeon was actually the eldest son and heir of the Namgung family. Yet someone else was being called the young master…

Whether this was officially recognized by the family head or just people’s talk, it was clear that Namgung Eun-hyeon’s position was precarious.

“The demonic cult can’t act up in Anhui province where the Namgung family is, but Xinjiang is in chaos. It’s all because of that demonic cult leader.”

Demonic cult leader…?

Eun-hyeon raised his head.

The demonic cult had deep connections with Eun-hyeon too.

His disciple Un had become an orphan because of the demonic cult, was raised by them, and then escaped.

After the demonic cult’s leader died in an internal rebellion, the council of elders had been acting as leader for a long time. After 20 years, did they now have a new leader?

“That real demonic cult leader, just thinking about him… How many high-ranking orthodox sect members have lost their lives to the demonic cult leader? Yet he leaves no evidence and slips away cunningly! When that leader wasn’t around, the demonic cult wasn’t this devious!”

“Recently, a top expert in Sichuan province also lost his life. It must be the demonic cult’s doing!”

Eun-hyeon quietly leaned forward to focus on the conversation.

The demonic cult killing renowned orthodox sect masters without leaving evidence? Something didn’t add up. Yet seeing everyone nodding and condemning the demonic cult gave him a strange feeling.

“Um, may I ask something?”

When Eun-hyeon spoke up, those engaged in conversation looked him over. Seeing his unremarkable appearance, they nodded with indifferent faces.

“Go ahead.”

“If there’s no evidence, how do you know it was the demonic cult?”

“Have you been training in the mountains all this time…? At first, those demonic cult bastards didn’t kill people without challenging them to duels! Surely you’re not saying you don’t know even that. It’s been the talk of the entire martial world for years.”

“Ah, yes… I’m a bit out of touch with outside news…”

“At first, they challenged orthodox masters to duels and took their lives. But when the orthodox masters started refusing, they began killing without leaving evidence. Those who have died now all received red letters from the demonic cult a few years ago.”

“Red letters…”

“Hah, he’s barely over twenty, but he’s unbelievably vicious.”

“…Who?”

“Who else! The demonic cult leader, Cheong-un. That young bastard is so cruel… He sent red letters to everyone who killed his master! To think someone who was once part of an orthodox sect, a Taoist sect at that, could be so brutal…! He’s become the enemy of the martial world and doesn’t even bat an eye.”

“…W-wait a moment. Who did you say? Cheong-un?”

Eun-hyeon stood up abruptly without realizing it.

Hearing the name Cheong-un, his mind went blank. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard.