"M-Martial Alliance Leader!"
"Why don't you try saying what you just said again. What was that?"
"Th-that's not... "
Seo Mun-wang-ryang was greatly flustered. That arrogant figure was now stuttering, unable to even make proper eye contact, just fumbling over his words.
I found the sight so amusing that I almost burst out laughing, but I barely held it in.
By the way, to be honest, I hadn't expected Seo Mun-wang-ryang to co out so openly like this.
Of course, if my master and I had fought back with all our might, we wouldn't have been easily defeated, but it was a mont that could have been a little dangerous.
'Could he have co here thinking this far ahead?'
If it were anyone else, I would have dismissed it as unlikely, but since it was none other than the Martial Alliance Leader, I thought it might be possible.
He had previously warned that Seo Mun-wang-ryang was a cunning man, and the Alliance Leader I knew was not one to make aningless moves.
Thinking that, a sense of gratitude ca before the feeling of catharsis.
"What do you an, 'that's not'? I was sitting right here and heard you clearly."
"Th-that wasn't what I truly ant, it was just to scare him..."
"Then why did you try to scare him?"
"Didn't he act cunningly in the public duel first? I conceded five moves, but he perford exactly five techniques and then imdiately declared his defeat and left. Where in the world is there a duel like that?"
"Then is it fair for soone of your generation to duel with a third-generation disciple of the Wudang Sect, and the youngest one at that?"
"......"
In the end, Seo Mun-wang-ryang shut his mouth.
He seed to know well that there was nothing to be gained by continuing to speak in this situation.
"I under... stand. I made a mistake. I will apologize to you both. I think I let my emotions get the better of ."
I don't know if he was sincere or not, but for now, he bowed his head and apologized.
"There's no need for an apology you don't an."
"...... I am sincere, Alliance Leader!"
"Is that so? Then can you promise that you will never bother these two Taoists again?"
"I... promise."
"Good. I will trust that promise. And... I saw the entire duel earlier. So I also found out what you were trying to do to your nephew."
"Th-that's..."
"So if I ever get the feeling that these two have been attacked under suspicious circumstances, I will imdiately consider you the culprit, go to the Seo Mun family, and tell the Seo Mun family head what you did to your nephew. Of course, there won't be any proof, but since they are the words of , the Martial Alliance Leader, won't he believe them?"
"Ha......"
He let out a deep sigh as if letting go of everything.
Now, there was truly nothing he could do to .
He had to swallow his anger and his bad feelings.
"Ah! No way? That laughter from before?!"
At that mont, Seo Mun-wang-ryang shouted as if he had rembered sothing, but the Martial Alliance Leader did not respond.
Seo Mun-wang-ryang, as if he had given up on sothing from that motionless face, stood up from his seat.
Then, he bowed deeply, clasped his hands in a salute to Seo Mun-wang-ryang, and said, "I apologize for disturbing your precious alti. I will no longer hold any ill feelings towards Taoist Unhwi, Alliance Leader."
"Alright. You may go."
At the Alliance Leader's dismissal, he turned back the way he ca and left the inn.
A mont of silence fell after he left.
I don't know what to say or what kind of expression to make.
But then, the Alliance Leader spoke again.
His voice now was not the firm and heavy one he had used with Seo Mun-wang-ryang, but a comfortable and benevolent one.
"What are you two doing? If you don't eat, the precious food will get cold. Aren't you going to eat?"
"Ah, we will."
Thanks to the Alliance Leader's one word, the atmosphere shifted again, and we resud our al as naturally as if Seo Mun-wang-ryang had never been there.
"Hyeon Yang."
"Yes, Alliance Leader."
"Are you planning to return to Wudang now?"
"That is the plan. However, if you have any special tasks for us, it is fine if we do not return imdiately."
"No. I don't have any particular tasks for now. Rather, looking at you now... it seems better for you to return to Wudang and focus on your training. Is it thanks to the Heavenly Transformation Pill I gave you? From what I see, you will overco that wall soon."
My master's eyes flashed at the words that he seed to be able to overco the wall.
It seems the Alliance Leader can see everything, what state my master is in right now.
"Anyway, you're planning to return soon. Then Unhwi?"
"Yes, Alliance Leader."
"Co to my quarters later, at a ti that is neither too early nor too late. Around the ti after dinner and before going to bed would be good."
"By myself?"
"Yes. Co alone."
I glanced at my master once, then nodded and replied, "Yes. I will do so."
"Well then, I've filled my stomach. Shall I get going?"
The Alliance Leader said so and imdiately got up from his seat.
As he stood up, the warrior nad Hoeun who was next to him also stood up naturally.
"It was a good al, Hyeon Yang. You don't need to co and say goodbye to separately before you leave. I'll send a ssage if I have sothing to call you for again."
"I understand, Alliance Leader. Please take care on your way."
"Unhwi, I'll see you in a bit."
"Yes. I'll see you later."
The Alliance Leader turned around and strode out of the inn.
My master waited until the Alliance Leader and Hoeun were completely out the door before slumping back into his chair.
"It seems a lot has happened in the short ti we were eating."
"I know. I'm full, but I don't think I even rember how I ate."
"By the way, do you know why the Alliance Leader is calling for you?"
"I don't know either."
"Really? Well, we'll have to see when you go."
"Yes. I should probably bring a gift or sothing when I go later."
"A gift?"
"It's not a big one."
"What kind of gift?"
"Shall we say... a gift that might present the Alliance Leader with a mory?"
My master looked at with a puzzled expression, not understanding what I ant, but I just shrugged and smiled.
And for a mont, Seo Mun-wang-ryang flashes through my mind.
However, I decided to forget about him.
Because now, Seo Mun-wang-ryang would not be able to cause any harm.
No matter how strong Seo Mun-wang-ryang's martial arts were, and no matter how the prestige of the Seo Mun family was comparable to the Five Great Families, in the end, as long as he was on the Alliance Leader's bad side, he would have no choice but to listen.
Instead, he might hold a grudge over this incident and watch for an opportunity to take revenge on soday.
'That too is a matter that will be resolved if I beco overwhelmingly stronger than him.'
That's right. All of this happened because I was not yet strong enough.
If I had defeated Seo Mun-wang-ryang within five moves, none of this would have happened.
In the end, since many of the problems scattered around will be solved just by becoming stronger, I made a resolution.
For the remaining ti, I would ponder how I could beco stronger and focus on that.
***
After waiting at the inn until evening, I went out to the streets of Kaifeng.
The streets of Kaifeng were abuzz with conversation about the duel that had taken place earlier.
"Did you see the public duel that happened earlier?"
"I couldn't see it because of work today. How was it?"
"Tsk, tsk. Because of your work, you've lost a lifeti's worth of drinking stories today. Do you know how amazing it was? Especially the final duel between Taoist Unhwi and the great hero Seo Mun-wang-ryang... I will probably never forget that duel for the rest of my life."
"No, what on earth happened?"
"Great Hero Seo Mun conceded five moves to his junior, and Taoist Unhwi unleashed five techniques with world-shaking power. Great Hero Seo Mun, while his whole body was becoming a wreck, received all of those techniques. And do you know what happened?"
"Stop dragging it out and just tell ."
"And Taoist Unhwi, saying it was his best move, cleanly gave up and admitted defeat. I was greatly impressed by that sight. That appearance of calmly admitting his own limits and accepting defeat... it was a sight that made say he's not a Wudang Taoist for nothing."
To be honest, my actions were more a result of studying how to not get hurt by Seo Mun-wang-ryang and piss him off, rather than such thoughts, but fortunately, people seed to see it in a good light.
I thought there would be people who would curse for running away when it was my turn to be hit after only hitting, but there was no one like that.
To be precise, there were so who had such suspicions.
"Hey, you! What do you take the Wudang Taoist for? Don't even say that the Wudang Taoist might have had such a petty thought!"
In this way, other people defended .
As expected, the background of the Wudang Sect is helpful in many ways.
"Is this... the right place? It must be. I can sll dumplings."
And the place I arrived at after passing through the streets of Kaifeng was a dumpling house.
As I entered the shabby house that operated without a sign, an old woman greeted .
"Welco. Here to buy dumplings?"
"I ca to see if I could buy two plates of dumplings, ma'am."
"There are only two plates left, you're in luck. Wait just a mont."
Even though I had just eaten dinner a little while ago, the sll of steaming dumplings made feel hungry again.
A little while later, the old woman wrapped several dumplings in a large leaf, and I paid the price.
"To be honest, I didn't know if you would be in business right now, but I'm happy to see you looking so hale and hearty."
"Hmm? Have you been to our shop before?"
"Ah, no. I haven't. I've heard a lot about it."
"I see. I don't know how many more years I'll be doing this. Making dumplings is harder work than you think. If I get too tired, I'll have to quit and go back to my hotown."
"I hope you take care of your health and continue for a long, long ti."
"Thank you for the kind words."
I greeted the old woman like that and headed to the Martial Alliance with the dumplings.
That shop was actually a place I couldn't even go to in my past life.
But how do I know about it? It's because I had heard stories a few tis from soone who missed that place, which would soon disappear.
Since he had explained the location in detail, I was able to find the location easily earlier.
"It's Taoist Unhwi. Please enter."
"Thank you."
Even though it had only been a few days since I ca to Kaifeng, the martial artists guarding the Martial Alliance already knew my face.
I entered comfortably up to the fifth gate without any restraint.
And this ti, I wasn't flustered and checked the pond first.
As expected. At the pond, the Martial Alliance Leader was there, having erased his presence as if he had beco one with nature again.
"Alliance Leader. I'm here."
"You've co? You find it well now."
"If you're not having fun, should I pretend I didn't see you?"
"That's enough."
He chuckled at my banter, then noticed what was in my hand.
"But what is that?"
"This? I bought so dumplings on the way because I thought it would be nice to eat them with you, Alliance Leader."
"Dumplings?"
He looked down at the dumplings I handed him with a puzzled expression, as I had bought them out of the blue.
Then his eyes widened.
"N-No. These dumplings, could they be...?"
"Is it a place you know?"
The Martial Alliance Leader, without even answering my question, imdiately untied the leaf and took a bite of a dumpling.
"That's right! It was these very dumplings...!"
He looked back and forth between and the dumplings with sowhat emotional eyes.
The Alliance Leader is showing a bigger reaction than I thought.
But it's understandable.
Because the dumpling house I had just visited was a shop that the Alliance Leader had said several tis he could not forget the taste of.
After becoming the Alliance Leader, he had almost no chance to eat outside food, so he had forgotten about it for a while, and when he suddenly craved those dumplings again, the old woman had already closed the dumpling business and returned to her hotown, so he had lanted several tis that he could never eat them again.
"How do you know about this shop? It's a place I had forgotten about for a while."
"I was just passing by and bought them because they slled good."
"Heh heh... I see. I see."
That's right. All of these things are coincidences.
The fact that I returned to the past, and that I am forming a different relationship with the Martial Alliance Leader than before.
But, that's why I naturally thought that I should make better use of this coincidence.
(End of Chapter)
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