Chapter 1485
Why are you suddenly here? (5)
“…Chung Myung.”
Baek Cheon and the other disciples of Hwasan exchanged glances.
‘We’ve been caught? Sahyeong?’
‘What should we do then?’
‘Should we confess?’
‘This idiot. Confessing is like admitting defeat!’
‘What do you suggest?’
All eyes turned to Baek Cheon. Though they couldn’t find a suitable response at the moment, they believed that Baek Cheon, the confident Vice Sect Leader of Hwasan, would find a way somehow…
“Cough, cough. What do you mean by that? W-We are disciples of Jongnam, but…”
‘We’re done for.’
‘We’ve lost.’
‘That guy always acts like this. Look at him, puffing up his chest.’
It wasn’t the attempt at denial that was the problem. It was Baek Cheon’s attempt at denial, which looked like he was shouting, “I’m the culprit,” to anyone who saw it.
“H-Hwasan is the sect we dislike the most, so please be careful with your words. Just hearing the name ‘Hwasan Geomhyeop Chung Myung’ makes my teeth grind!”
Uh, there was half sincerity in that statement. Indeed, whenever Baek Cheon heard the name Chung Myung, it made his blood boil.
But to the person on the receiving end of this performance, this kind of half-hearted act was not convincing at all.
“Sasuk. Let’s not do anything unnecessary and perhaps…?”
“I understand. My apologies.”
“Yes. Just hit hi… huh?”
Jo Geol opened his eyes wide and quickly turned his head. His gaze landed on the woman who was smiling.
“It seems this servant misunderstood and made a mistake. Please forgive her impudence.”
As the woman deeply bowed her head, the faces of Hwasan’s disciples turned pale as they exchanged glances. Amidst this, the woman raised her head again and spoke politely.
“With your graciousness, would you not give me the opportunity to escort the heroes of Jongnam to the top floor?”
“Uh…”
“T-Thank you?”
Hwasan’s disciples looked at each other again.
“Can we really go in there?”
As the situation escalated, the staircase that had seemed like the path to heaven just moments ago now looked like a gate to hell.
‘What should we do? Sasuk!’
‘I don’t know!’
With the desperate poking from those around him, Baek Cheon’s body twitched.
“Will you go up?”
At the woman’s urging words, eventually, everyone’s gaze turned to one place.
“Hmm.”
Finally, after glaring at the woman with a hardened expression, Chung Myung burst into laughter.
“Whoever the owner here may be, they seem to be quite resourceful.”
“I apologize once again for my rudeness. Please forgive me with a generous heart.”
As the woman bowed excessively politely, Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
“So, the one who wants to see us is the owner here?”
“Yes, Luju [Lu from Cheonsangru, Pavilion Owner] wishes to see you all.”
“Hmm.”
Chung Myung grumbled as if he didn’t like it.
“His skills might be impressive, but he lacks proper manners. If he wants to see us that badly, he will come down himself.”
The woman responded with a smile, without saying a word.
“How amusing.”
Chung Myung shrugged.
“Well, if they’re offering to show us around, there’s no need to refuse. Oh, and we don’t have to pay, right?”
“Of course not.”
“Then let’s go.”
Chung Myung smirked.
“They say they will show you a place for free that requires a million nyang to even see. What do you say?”
“Why, why are you looking at me and saying that?”
“Well… not you, for now. Hehe.”
Chung Myung grinned at Hye Yeon and gestured to the woman.
“Lead the way.”
“Yes. Follow me this way.”
The woman courteously led the way up the stairs.
Seeing this, Baek Cheon leaned in close to Chung Myung and whispered.
“Hey. Can we really go? It looks like we’ve been caught.”
“We got caught, so we have to go. If we back out now, it’ll be a real embarrassment.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Shh.”
Chung Myung made a grumbling sound.
“Whether it’s Luju or whatever. He is not your average raccoon. Dealing with a woman who knows nothing about martial arts leaves us with no choice.”
From Chung Myung’s perspective, it would have been easier to deal with the bravest warriors. After all, you could just break their heads one by one. In a way, places like this pavilion were more challenging than the headquarters of Demonic Cult.
“Anyway, let’s go up. Whether it’s a raccoon, a fox, or even a wolf.”
“…But the weasel is here.”
“Get in there, you!”
Chung Myung pressed his finger firmly against Baek Ah’s head as he spoke, then moved his feet.
“It’s… not as extraordinary as I thought.”
“Yeah, it feels kinda bland, doesn’t it?”
Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong’s faces showed a subtle disappointment. They had high expectations because the ground floor was so extravagant, but as they climbed the stairs, the sight of the other floors wasn’t as impressive as they had hoped.
As they ascended the floors, they mostly encountered narrow corridors connected to the stairs and large doors lining both sides of the corridor.
“Bland?”
“Leave it, Sahyeong. Ignorance is bliss.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“But I thought Sasuk would know a bit more.”
“Well, he’s just a product of his environment. Without money, even a martial artist is judged.”
“Are you guys insulting me right now?”
Jo Geol and Tang Soso shuddered nervously. Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong could speak so freely, but from their perspective, this scene was unsettling.
“That plaque in front of that door… it looks like it’s from the Western regions. And the door is made of rosewood.”
“The painting on that wall looks like the work of Guo Xi… Why would they hang something so expensive in the corridor…”
“…The outside of the door looks tidy, but what could they be up to inside?”
“I’d rather not imagine.”
“Yeah, that’s better for mental health.”
Jo Geol shook his head.
Even items that would not dare to be handled by Four Seas merchant guild, were being used as footstools in the corridor. Though they couldn’t know, but even the imperial palace might not be as ostentatious.
Turning to look at Jo Geol’s and Tang Soso’s expressions, Chung Myung asked the woman ascending the stairs ahead.
“Do many martial artists come here?”
“At Cheonsangru, anyone with qualifications is welcome.”
“So, does that mean…”
“…In truth, very few martial artists visit.”
Chung Myung’s eyes narrowed slightly. The implication was that those who frequented this pavilion were mostly high-ranking officials or influential figures, perhaps even influential merchants.
“Although membership is required for entry, there must be separate expenses for other necessities like food and drinks, right?”
“Of course.”
“I thought I had scraped together some money myself, but there are always those who earn real money.”
“At best, it’s just a small pavilion.”
“…I’m not sure what ‘small’ implies here.”
As Chung Myung chuckled incredulously, the woman smiled faintly and quickened her pace.
‘Hmm.’
As they ascended to the upper floor, nothing changed significantly. The only difference was that the gap between the doors along the corridor gradually widened, implying that the rooms on each floor were much larger.
“If they operate so covertly, wouldn’t it be better to have doors on the stairs as well? If each floor isn’t significantly different, people wouldn’t be willing to pay a hefty sum to go higher, would they?”
“…Well.”
The woman seemed to evade the question, indicating it was a difficult one for her to answer. Just as Chung Myung was about to snicker, the woman responded in a slightly softer tone than before.
“Perhaps that’s why it’s enticing?”
“Hmm?”
“People tend to desire what they can’t easily obtain, even if it doesn’t seem particularly different or impressive… It’s human nature.”
“…”
The woman subtly turned her head to glance at Chung Myung and gave a slight nod.
“You’re quite peculiar, aren’t you? I don’t recall ever sharing my thoughts with a guest who visited this establishment.”
“Oh? In that case, how about considering a change of occupation? We’re actually looking for someone to work in the guesthouse.”
“…You really are inclined to cause troubles.”
The woman’s pace quickened slightly. Before taking a few more steps, they caught sight of the top floor of the pavilion.
“…”
Sometimes, symbolic elements can captivate attention more than flashy displays. As they reached the seventh floor, the sight before them was not much different from before: a long corridor stretching through the center of the building and walls on either side.
What sets this seventh-floor corridor apart is that there are only three doors visible: one on the left, one on the right, and…
‘In the center.’
At the end of the corridor they’re traversing, they spot a door painted in a different color from the others. It’s not flashy, but rather practical in design – a stark contrast to the doors they’ve seen so far.
“That’s where Luju resides.”
“Hmm.”
The disciples of Hwasan swallowed dryly, their eyes fixed on the door. The tension, somewhat eased during the ascent, returned with renewed vigor.
‘How peculiar.’
Baek Cheon subtly turned his head to look at his Sajes.
He hadn’t sensed any presence of martial artists on their way here, implying there were no imminent threats. However, everyone was tense, as if they were about to enter a battlefield.
“I will escort you.”
“Please.”
As they arrived at the door after passing through the corridor adorned with red carpets, the woman courteously lowered her body.
“Luju, your guests have arrived.”
A brief silence enveloped the corridor. Just as Chung Myung was about to speak up, not fond of the atmosphere…
“Bring them in.”
“Yes, Luju.”
As the woman cautiously held the door handle, the faces of Jo Geol and Tang Soso instantly tensed with anticipation.
However, when the door opened, what they saw was a rather ordinary study, nothing particularly remarkable.
“Huh?”
“What’s this?”
Expressions of confusion escaped from Tang Soso and Jo Geol.
It wasn’t shabby by any means. It was a well-furnished study with decent furniture and decorations. However, compared to here, even the study of Tang clan’s family head seemed much more splendid.
“This way.”
Before they could gather their thoughts, a brief voice sounded. As they entered the study, their gazes turned towards the source of the voice.
On one side of the wall stood a bookshelf. From there, a man in his middle ages, dressed in a simple but luxurious silk garment, slowly turned to face them, holding a book in his hand.
The man, who didn’t seem particularly impressive, approached them with an expressionless face.
“Greetings. I am the Luju of Cheonsangru.”
‘…This person?’
Just as they were about to furrow their brows, the man continued.
“So, what brings esteemed members of the prestigious Hwasan Sect and the Vice Sect Leader of Hwasan to visit me?”
Suddenly, a fluttering sound filled the room as a small bird with golden feathers flew in through the wide-open window and landed lightly on the man’s shoulder.
“Kiiiiiiiii!”
Baek Ah popped out from inside Chung Myung’s clothes and exposed his teeth towards the golden bird.
After a moment of staring intently at this sight, Chung Myung’s gaze shifted back to the man.
“I think I’ve come to the right place.”
The man’s gaze and Chung Myung’s gaze sharply intertwined.
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